Tiger Mother

Lately it seems I am a lot more into reading than my writing. I'll continue to attempt to write about my reading.

Last week I finished Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. You might remember the hype this article got a few months ago. If you only read the article and made harsh judgements--shame on you. I enjoyed (and recommend) this fascinating fast-read.

I'm slightly biased considering my fan-hood for memoirs. I admire the courage it must have taken Chua to tell her story of parenting as Chinese mother in a Western society. Most everything she said and did to encourage her daughters both academically and musically while exposing them to the world made much more sense than the "everyone is a winner" Western ways I grew up with. I won't gab on for days about how shocking yet captivating this book was, read it for yourself to find out.

Out of all the intense situations discussed in this book, I chose to share one not about the struggle with raising her daughters--instead about her witnessing her sisters battle with cancer.

"Life is definitely tough for her, and she's not out of the woods yet, but she's a hero and bears everything with grace... I often wonder what the lesson of her illness is. Given that life is so short and so fragile, surely each of us should be trying to get the most out of every breath, every fleeting moment. But what does it meant to live life to the fullest? We all have to die. But which way does that cut?"

I am at a point where I find comfort in things I can relate to. This passage left me with lots to chew on.