I got the sudden urge to pick up this book from my father's shelf. So I did, and, I got completely engrossed in it. As soon as I read the title, I knew that the "Tiger Mother" had surely not been good to her children. Although I loved the book, I didn't like the way Chua treated her children.This is what she thinks a being Chinese mother is all about:

"Unlike your typical Western mother, the Chinese mother believes that:

• Schoolwork always comes first
• An A- grade is a bad grade
• Your children must be two years ahead of their classmates in maths
• You must never compliment your children in public
• If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or a coach, you must always take the side of the teacher or the coach
• The only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal, and…
• that medal must be gold."

Prepare yourself for the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

Amy and her husband, Jed, have two daughters, Sophia and Louisa. Both have exceptional musical abilities. Sophia plays the piano and Lulu plays the violin.

Sophia is the obedient one, while Lulu is the fiery rebel.

On an icy winter's day, when Lulu was three, Chua decided to introduce her to the piano. When she didn't obey, Chua took her outside.

"The wind chill was twenty degrees, and my own face hurt from just a few seconds' exposure to the icy air… You can't stay in the house if you don't listen to Mommy." Lulu was wearing merely a sweater, a ruffled skirt and tights. Then, Lulu stepped outside. Chua knew that she would be in trouble if she was caught "kicking" her child out, and that Lulu would catch a bad cold, so she changed "tactics" and finally got Lulu to come inside. She then treated Lulu to brownies and hot chocolate in a hot water bath. Here we see a child who is ready to go against her mother than give in to something she doesn't want to do. Bold and strong-willed, isn't she?

Later, as Lulu grew older, she started playing the piano, but after few years, she quit and played the violin, which she truly enjoyed. Sophia rapidly excelled in her piano. At the age of 14, Sophia played at the Carnegie Hall. Both girls had been tutored by some of the finest music teachers in the world. Both played in concerts and could enthrall audiences with their music.

Chua made both her daughters practice for around three hours on holidays and 90 minutes on weekdays. Later, it became 5 to 6 hours a day, when the music got more and more intense and difficult. Just imagine, 5 to 6 hours a day! Gosh!

But Chua's main struggle was with Lulu. Between them there was a collision of equally strong minds. At the end of the book, there's a twist, after Lulu revolts against her mother in Russia during a family vacation.

I really think you all should read this book. After I read this book, I ran over to my mother, and hugged her saying that, "I love you because you're not like HER." I really think that we should consider ourselves lucky for having such wonderful "western parents"!

Chua's writing style was VERY easy to understand, and her attitude towards parenting shocked me on every page. I didn't find her "tactics" very useful and I felt she should have been a little bit more easygoing with her daughters, like she is with her college students (she teaches at Yale). I don't know what I would have done had she been my mother!

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop

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