Amy Chua Responds to 'Chinese Mothers' Controversy

Jan. 16, 2011— -- Author Amy Chua, who was embroiled on controversy last week after the Wall Street Journal published excerpts of her book in an article titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," has responded to Ayelet Waldman's essay championing a more relaxed approach to parenting, which was published in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

Speaking with ABC News today, Chua reiterated that her book is not a how-to guide to parenting, but a memoir on her experience as a parent, while she praised Waldman's essay and skills as a mother.

"I thought it was a terrific piece, incredibly thoughtful and gracious," Chua said.

"My book is a memoir, not a parenting book! I think there are many ways to raise great kids. From what I can tell, Ayelet Waldman's kids are interesting, strong, and happy, and if that's the case, that's good parenting," she added.

The controversy over Chua's book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," heated up further on Saturday when Waldman, a Jewish author and mother, responded with her essay, entitled "In Defense of the Guilty, Ambivalent, Preoccupied Western Mom."

Waldman's essay humorously outlines differences between what she sees as the lackadaisical approach taken by western mothers and the strict regimen Chinese mothers use on their children that Chua discusses.

The first Wall Street Journal piece, which took excerpts from Chua's parenting memoir "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," ignited a heated debate across the Internet, with critics claiming that the book advocates abusive parenting, while others asserted that it will lead to xenophobia and feed China haters.

Aided by the controversy, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" reached the No. 6 slot in the Amazon sales rankings on Tuesday, the day it was released.

In her response to Chua's piece, Waldman, author of "The Mommy-Track Mysteries" series of novels and the wife of best-selling novelist Michael Chabon, jokingly tells of allowing her children to quit the piano and the violin to spare her from attending boring recitals while letting them sleep over at their friend's houses to save money on babysitters.