NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Amy Chua, the self-confessed "Tiger Mother," has caused a new controversy with a book that says some U.S. groups are more likely to succeed.
Chua wrote the book, "The Triple Package," with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld. The book, to be published by Penguin in February, has yet to hit bookstores but went viral with an early review in the New York Post, NBC's "Today" reported.
The Post was critical, saying the book uses "some specious states and anecdotal evidence" to make its point.
Chua is of Chinese descent and her husband is Jewish -- two of the groups described as having cultural traits that give them a boost.
The other groups are Indians, Chinese, Iranians, Lebanese, Nigerians, Cubans and Mormons. Chua does not argue members of those groups are genetically superior but says they combine a belief in their own superiority, insecurity and tight impulse control in a way that helps them succeed.
Chua and Rubenfeld acknowledge they are in fraught territory.
"That certain groups do much better in America than others -- as measured by income, occupational status, test scores, and so on -- is difficult to talk about. In large part, this is because the topic feels so racially charged," they said in the introduction.
Chua's previous book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," was a memoir of her parenting of her two daughters. While she said she intended the book as a "self-mocking memoir," many readers interpreted it as a guide to using strict discipline to create high-achieving children.
Chua, who teaches at Yale Law School, previously wrote two books on international affairs and economic development that were well-received but attracted far less attention.
