Tiger Babies Strike Back: How I Was Raised by a Tiger Mom but Could Not Be Turned to the Dark Side

An answer to Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, author Kim Wong Keltner’s Tiger Babies Strike Back takes the control-freak beast by the tail with a humorous and honest look at the issues facing women today―Chinese-American and otherwise.

Keltner, the author of the novels Buddha Baby and I Want Candy, mines her own past in an attempt to dispel the myth that all Chinese women are Tiger Mothers. Keltner strikes back at Chua’s argument through topics, including “East Meets West in the Board Room and the Bedroom,” and “I Was Raised by a Tiger Mom and All I Got Was this Lousy T-Shirt: A Rebuttal to Chua.”

Through personal anecdotes and tough-love advice, Keltner’s witty and forthright opinions evoke an Asian-American Sex and the City, while showing how our families shape our personal worlds.

What happens when the children of Tiger Moms grow up and decide they’re not going to take it anymore?

• A Rebuttal to the Tiger Mom: Tired of feeling kicked around? Keltner takes on Amy Chua’s controversial book with wit, humor, and the perspective of someone who survived a “control-freaky” upbringing.
• Sharp Cultural Commentary: Explore what it really means to be a Chinese American woman today—from the boardroom to the bedroom, and beyond the myth of the model minority.
• Generational Differences: With tough-love advice and hilarious honesty, this book bridges the gap between obedient daughters and their often-critical parents.
• A Modern Asian American Voice: Discover a perspective that’s been called an “Asian-American Sex and the City,” navigating family, identity, and motherhood with refreshing candor.

The only thing that keeps Kim Wong Keltner from writing is when she’s trapped under an avalanche of her daughter’s stuffed animals. Keltner is the author of The Dim Sum of All Things, Buddha Baby, and I Want Candy. Tiger Babies Strike Back is her first work of nonfiction.