Battle Hymn of the Tiger Daughter

How one family fought the myth that you have to destroy childhood in order to raise extraordinary adults. What does a "successful" child look like? If you imagined a straight-A-earning, classical-music-playing, rule-following, Ivy-bound prodigy, you're not alone. This is what I thought my kid should look like, too. I was determined to raise my child in this image, no matter the cost. After all, I was one of those kids (Columbia University, Class of 1989). The traditional path to success sure worked for me. In other words, I was a classic tiger mother. But life intervened in ways I couldn't have imagined. I was faced with two choices: Impose my will no matter the trauma. Or, take a frightening, uncharted path- -to where? A sub-standard child, unable to succeed on the level I had? Did letting up mean letting my child down? Answering these questions took my family on a fascinating journey. What looked and felt like failure after failure on adult terms led to a different kind of success: mad creativity, fierce independence, and relentless self-direction. In other words, everything an adult needs to make it in today's world. So what does a successful child look like? She looks like my child. And if you consider a similar path by relaxing, backing off, letting up, and settling down, she (or he) just might look a lot like yours. (Diana Holquist is the award-winning author of six novels. She's won the New York Book Festival award for Best Novel; has garnered a coveted starred review from Publisher's Weekly; and, she's been a RITA and Reader's Choice Award finalist. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two kids, and two cats. She also writes small-town women's fiction under the pseudonym Sophie Gunn.) PRAISE FOR NOVELS BY DIANA HOLQUIST: "With characters so real, they jump off the page..." --Doubleday Book Club "(Holquist)...raises some serious issues, leaving readers' eyes shining both with happiness and tears."--Library Journal "...laughter, passion and deeply moving sentiment."--New York Times Bestseller Robyn Carr "...humor, warmth, emotions, characters that step off the page..."--New York Times Bestseller Mariah Stewart "...a real treat for readers..."--New York Times Bestseller Susan Wiggs "...Holquist is one for the keeper shelf."--Parksberg News and Sentinel "A delightful debut..." --Booklist, starred review