January
Amy Chua

Amy Chua was born in 1962 in Champaign, Illinois. Her parents were ethnic Chinese from the Philippines who immigrated to the United States. Chua graduated from El Cerrito High School in California. She then attended Harvard University, where she received her A.B. in Economics in 1984 and later obtained her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 19873.

After law school, Chua worked as a corporate law associate in Wall Street. She then transitioned into academia, joining the Duke University Faculty of Law. In 2001, she accepted a professorship at Yale Law School, where she teaches contracts, international business transactions, and law and development.

Chua gained prominence in the field of international law with her first book, “World on Fire”, which explores how exporting free market democracy breeds ethnic hatred and global instability. Her third book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”, a memoir about her parenting journey using strict Confucianist child rearing techniques, sparked a global debate and controversy.

Chua continued her exploration of cultural dynamics with “The Triple Package”, co-written with her husband, examining how three traits explain the rise and fall of cultural groups in America. Her fifth book, “Political Tribes”, examines how group loyalty often outweighs any other ideological considerations, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from across the political spectrum.

Chua’s work has been recognized for its insight and provocation. Despite the controversy surrounding some of her ideas, she has been featured on many TV and radio shows, and her books have been bestsellers. She continues to teach at Yale and contribute to discussions on law, culture, and parenting.