The Yale University Law School Professor, Amy Chua, who authored “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”, has recently penned another book, this time with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld. While some are lauding the book for Dr. Chua’s unabashed fervor on the subject of her research, others are up in arms about what they view as a racist product, an elitist market ploy, and every other term I do not care to repeat in this forum. The title of the book is “The Triple Package”. I will reserve my comment until after reading the book, which I recently purchased. It was slated to be widely available in February, 2014.
Amazon.com described Chua’s book in the manner below:
It may be taboo to say, but some groups in America do better than others. Mormons have recently risen to astonishing business success. Cubans in Miami climbed from poverty to prosperity in a generation. Nigerians earn doctorates at stunningly high rates. Indian and Chinese Americans have much higher incomes than other Americans. Jews may have the highest of all. Why do some groups rise? Drawing on groundbreaking original research and startling statistics, The Triple Package uncovers the secret to their success. A superiority complex, insecurity, impulse control – these are the elements of the Triple Package, the rare and potent cultural constellation that drives disproportionate group success.
Here’s the list of the successful groups according to the New York Post:
• Jewish
• Indian
• Chinese
• Iranian
• Lebanese-Americans
• Nigerians
• Cuban exiles
• Mormons
The Book
The reactions to this book have been fierce, especially from the groups not listed among the eight. It has elicited such vitriols even from people of African descent that I am beginning to have a paradigm shift. I must have been naïve to believe that other Africans would actually celebrate this accomplishment; having an African country listed as successful amidst the often sullen suspicion and rancor in the media about the continent and its people. Why such hatred for Nigeria (the Igbos and Yorubas were specifically listed)? Folks, please help me make some sense out of all this; a really watershed moment for me. Share your thoughts on this crucial topic.
Comments