Amy Chua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amy Chua
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Chua in April 2012
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| Born | Amy Lynn Chua October 26, 1962 Champaign, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) | ||||||||||
| Subject | Economics, international relations, law, parenting, political science, sociology | ||||||||||
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| Spouse | Jed Rubenfeld | ||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 蔡美兒 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 蔡美儿 | ||||||||||
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Amy Lynn Chua (born October 26, 1962) is an American writer, lawyer, and professor. She is sometimes called "the Tiger Mom" because of her book about strict parenting. She teaches law at Yale Law School. Her work often focuses on how different groups of people get along, how countries grow, and how the world is connected.
Amy Chua joined Yale Law School in 2001. Before that, she taught at Duke Law School. She also worked as a lawyer for a big company. In 2011, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people. She also wrote a famous article called "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior."
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Amy Chua was born in Champaign, Illinois. Her parents were Chinese-Filipino immigrants from the Philippines. They spoke a language called Hokkien at home. Her father, Leon O. Chua, is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Amy's mother was born in China and moved to the Philippines when she was two. She became Catholic and studied chemical engineering. Amy was raised Catholic. Her family lived in West Lafayette, Indiana, before moving to Berkeley, California, when she was eight.
Amy said she was bullied in school. She had a foreign accent and some kids made fun of her. She went to El Cerrito High School and was the top student in her class. She then went to Harvard College. She studied economics and graduated with high honors in 1984. She also went to Harvard Law School and graduated in 1987. She was the first Asian American to be an executive editor for the Harvard Law Review.
After law school, Amy worked for a judge named Patricia M. Wald.
Her Books
Amy Chua has written five books. Two are about international affairs, one is a book about parenting, and two are about culture and politics in America.
Her first book, World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability (2003), talks about how economic differences can cause conflict between ethnic groups. It was a bestseller and was chosen as one of the best books of 2003 by The Economist.
Her second book, Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance – and Why They Fall (2007), looks at powerful empires throughout history. It suggests that these empires became strong because they were open to different groups of people.
Chua's third book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, came out in 2011. It's a true story about her own parenting style. She used strict methods, which she said are common for Chinese immigrant parents. The book caused a lot of discussion around the world about different ways to raise children. It became a bestseller in many countries.
Amy Chua also helped JD Vance write his book, Hillbilly Elegy. This book became very popular and was even made into a movie. Vance has called her the "authorial godmother" of his book.
Her fourth book, The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America (2014), was written with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld. This book explores what might help certain cultural groups succeed in America. It received different opinions. Some people praised it for looking at new ideas, while others criticized it for making too many generalizations about groups.
In 2018, Chua published her fifth book, Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations. This book discusses how loyalty to our own groups often affects our political choices. She argues that not understanding this "group loyalty" has caused problems in American foreign policy and in politics at home. Many people liked the book, saying it was insightful.
Articles by Amy Chua
Amy Chua wrote a well-known article called "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" in 2011. In this article, she talks about the differences between Western and Asian American parenting styles. She shared examples from raising her two daughters, Sophia and Louisa. For example, she listed things her daughters were not allowed to do, like attending sleepovers or getting grades below an A.
She explained that "Western" and "Asian" are general terms. She said that not all Chinese parents use strict methods, and some non-Chinese parents do. She also shared information from studies. One study showed that many Western mothers worried that pushing for academic success could harm children. However, almost all Chinese immigrant mothers believed it was very important to aim for high academic achievement.
Chua also talked about a belief common among Chinese immigrant parents: that you only feel truly satisfied when you achieve success. She believes that working hard and never giving up leads to success. She also said that Western parents might be careful when talking about sensitive topics like health, while Asian American parents are more direct.
She described three main ideas about parenting:
- Western parents are very concerned about their kids' self-esteem.
- Chinese parents believe their kids owe them a lot and should repay them.
- Chinese parents think they know the best path for their kids. They might override their children's wishes if they think it's not good for success.
Chua emphasized that Chinese parents care deeply for their children. She shared a story about her daughter, Lulu, learning a difficult piano piece. Amy pushed Lulu to practice, even when it was tough. Eventually, Lulu mastered the piece and felt great joy. She later played it at a recital and received praise.
Yale Law School
At Yale Law School, Amy Chua teaches courses like "Contracts" and "International Business Transactions." She holds the title of John M. Duff Professor. She also received the "Best Teaching" Award during her time there.
Chua is known for helping students, especially those from diverse backgrounds, get jobs after law school. She helps them find clerkships with judges.
Personal Life
Amy Chua lives in New Haven, Connecticut. She is married to Jed Rubenfeld, who is also a professor at Yale Law School. They have two daughters.
Television Appearances
Amy Chua has appeared on many TV shows. These include The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, Charlie Rose, and Real Time with Bill Maher.
Images for kids
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Chua (right) and her daughters at the 2011 Time 100 gala
See also
In Spanish: Amy Chua para niños
