Bojová píseň tygří matky aneb Jak jsem své děti učila vítězit (a sama přitom byla poražena) – Amarová Heather Ash (2016)

This Czech-language memoir by Amy Chua, an American of Chinese descent, sparked passionate debates about child-rearing and made her one of the world’s most famous mothers. Chua examines how children should be raised, how strict parents should be, what demands they should place on their children, and whether the Western liberal model, with its emphasis on an individual and sensitive approach, is preferable to the tough Chinese discipline based on unconditional respect for parental authority. A mother of two daughters and a successful law professor at a renowned American university, Chua believes that her children can benefit only if she is uncompromisingly strict in the Chinese tradition, trains them from an early age, refuses to let them give up, and consistently guides them towards outstanding performance. Her daughters must receive top marks in every subject except physical education, play a musical instrument—either violin or piano—and have no say in their extracurricular activities. Television, video games and sleepovers are strictly forbidden. Chua openly and with self-critical humour describes the arguments, shouting and tears her methods provoke, while also showing the results of her demanding approach: after countless hours of piano practice, her daughter Sophie becomes a virtuoso pianist who performs at Carnegie Hall at the age of fourteen. Her account and arguments are so persuasive that even parents who find her methods excessive or drastic may begin to wonder whether tiger mothers are ultimately right, whether the Western liberal approach is simply easier and more comfortable, and whether the Chinese model really produces more successful children.