Amy Chua is a Yale Law School professor whose latest book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, was published last week. In an excerpt published in The Wall Street Journal, Chua asserts that there is an ill in America today: our permissive attitudes and behaviors as parents. Some will undoubtedly find Chua’s tales of her upbringing and child-rearing upsetting and/or frustrating. I believe that some ideas that she offers– in particular how Western parents react to poor academic results– have merit. It reminds me of the documentary Waiting for Superman. Despite our poor literacy rates and lack of math and science proficiency, American high school students rate first in confidence. If you have an open mind, read on.