Beyond the Tiger Mom - (Tuttle Specials) by Thiagarajan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Beyond the Tiger Mom is an in-depth, research-backed guide to the best of Asian parenting.

How do Asian parents prime their children for success from a young age by encouraging them to achieve academic excellence? What are the differences between an Asian upbringing and a Western one? These are just two of the many fascinating questions posed and discussed in Beyond the Tiger Mom, a captivating new book by educator, author, and mother, Maya Thiagarajan. In this in-depth guide, she examines each of the "tiger mother" stereotypes and goes beneath the surface to discover what happens in Asian parenting households. Each chapter offers interviews with Asian parents and kids and ends with a "How To" section of specific tips for both Asian and non-Asian parents. Through extensive research and interviews with families, Thiagarajan explores how Asian parents think about childhood, family, and education, and what can Western parents learn from them.

Some of the takeaways of this parenting book include:

• The best of Asian parenting practices, such as how to teach children math, build a language-rich home, and raise tech-healthy kids.
• Teaching your child to broaden their attention span.
• Finding the right balance between work and play, while including family time.
• Helping your child see failure as a learning experience

In Beyond the Tiger Mom, Thiagarajan synthesizes an extensive body of research on child education and Asian parenting both to provide accessible and practical guidelines for parents.

Review Quotes

"...pulls no punches, offers many alternative ideas, and is very highly recommended not just for parents and anyone working with kids, but for educators and those looking to build a better global community. It's an exciting discourse no parent or educator should be without." --Midwest Book Review

"Beyond the Tiger Mom is a brilliant book--hard-hitting and brutally honest but also balanced, insightful, and funny. It avoids cliches and draws on years of research and personal multicultural teaching experience. It's also wonderfully practical, offering specific tips for how to combine the best of East and West." --Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success

"Beyond The Tiger Mom is filled with tips for parents, such as how to build a language rich home and how to really get to know your child." --Harvard Ed Magazine

"Experts say there is a wide difference between eastern and western parenting style. To say one is better than the other, however, could be subject to debates and personal perception. Author Maya Thiagarajan explores both styles in her new parenting book Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age. She hopes it will serve as a good resource for parents who are searching for a blended approach, especially since global awareness is on the rise." --ParentHerald.com

"In her book Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age, author Maya Thiagarajan explores the difference between an Asian upbringing and a Western one and what parents on opposite sides of the globe can learn from one another." --The Toronto Star

"Perhaps, while waiting for the child's tuition class to end, mum (or dad) could read this book. You'll chuckle over parental excesses, probably identify with most of them, devour the parenting and teaching tips at the end of each chapter, find community with parents featured, and come away reassured that your style of east-west parenting -- whether you're a Tiger parent or not -- is the right way to raise your little Asian Tiger." --SingaporeMotherhood.com

"Thiagarajan is uniquely equipped to weigh Eastern against Western education. Born in India, she moved to the U.S. for high school and college. Then, after spending 15 years teaching in the States, she and her family relocated to Singapore ... This is an excellent resource for both parents and teachers. --Booklist

"Whether it's talking about memorization, critical thinking skills or how to balance, here is a well-written, soundly argued book that should be of enormous interest to educators and parents alike." --Expat Living magazine

About the Author

Maya Thiagarajan was raised in Chennai India, by her South Indian father and American mother. After high school, Maya left India and moved to the US. She earned a BA in English from Middlebury College and a Masters in Education Policy from Harvard University. Maya started her teaching career at a tough urban public school in Baltimore City and later went on to teach at some of America's most prestigious independent schools. In 2009, Maya moved to Singapore where she now teaches students from around the world at an international school. Over half her students are South Asian or East Asian, deepening her understanding of Asian family values and Asian approaches to education. Maya has two children aged 5 and 8.