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Model Minority Gone Rogue: How an Unfulfilled Daughter of a Tiger Mother Went Way Off Script
We all grow up with rules. Do this, be this, don't be that. Lisa Qin was all about the do your homework, be good, don't rock the boat. She was the model daughter, model student and model minority.
But doing everything right? It made her lost and miserable. So she decided to take a spectacular risk and change everything.
At 23, Lisa was an unhappy overachiever working for a prestigious law firm. So she quit. She didn't know what else was out there, but she wanted to find out. She changed paths, changed countries, changed her entire view of what the world could be, and who she could be - with some primal screaming and tree-hugging along the way.
In the process, she discovered the person she truly was, not who she thought she should be.
Model Minority Gone Rogue is a funny, sad, exhilarating and thought-provoking true story about what happens when you want to live life on your own terms, even when those terms go against everything you've ever known. It's a story of what happens when you choose love over fear and honour your authentic life can be bigger and brighter than anything you had ever imagined.
But doing everything right? It made her lost and miserable. So she decided to take a spectacular risk and change everything.
At 23, Lisa was an unhappy overachiever working for a prestigious law firm. So she quit. She didn't know what else was out there, but she wanted to find out. She changed paths, changed countries, changed her entire view of what the world could be, and who she could be - with some primal screaming and tree-hugging along the way.
In the process, she discovered the person she truly was, not who she thought she should be.
Model Minority Gone Rogue is a funny, sad, exhilarating and thought-provoking true story about what happens when you want to live life on your own terms, even when those terms go against everything you've ever known. It's a story of what happens when you choose love over fear and honour your authentic life can be bigger and brighter than anything you had ever imagined.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2024
16 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 23, 2024
Hi reader! 🩷💚 I’m the author, Qin Qin (formerly Lisa Qin). This book is my life.
It’s the messy, probably relatable - since I go so specific (the only way to make something universal, right) - journey of how I came to find meaning beyond the things which I thought would save me but didn’t (i.e. being “good”).
I wrote the manuscript to free myself from the unconscious scripts running my life, a lifelong process.
Out of suffering comes dark humour, a dash of footnotes, and wrestling with the dark to find the relief of the light.
It’s the messy, probably relatable - since I go so specific (the only way to make something universal, right) - journey of how I came to find meaning beyond the things which I thought would save me but didn’t (i.e. being “good”).
I wrote the manuscript to free myself from the unconscious scripts running my life, a lifelong process.
Out of suffering comes dark humour, a dash of footnotes, and wrestling with the dark to find the relief of the light.
March 28, 2024
This book is changing my life.
Changing. Present tense. Because I think it’s going to be working its magic for a long time.
Qin Qin’s stories are familiar to too many Asian Australian women. Emotionally unavailable parents, unrelenting standards, coercive boyfriends… and then the unhealthy coping mechanisms to help us navigate our way through all that and keep achieving. Never stop achieving.
This book not only helped me feel seen, but it has also helped my partner, my best friend and my colleagues have better conversations with me and with others. And it’s only been out for two days!
If you identify as CALD, queer, female, or just lonely, this book will be like talking to a friend who understands. If you’d like to be a better friend to someone who is CALD, queer, female, or just lonely, give this a go.
Qin Qin has done the emotional labour for me of saying all these hard things to my loved ones. And we’re the better for it.
Thank you.
Changing. Present tense. Because I think it’s going to be working its magic for a long time.
Qin Qin’s stories are familiar to too many Asian Australian women. Emotionally unavailable parents, unrelenting standards, coercive boyfriends… and then the unhealthy coping mechanisms to help us navigate our way through all that and keep achieving. Never stop achieving.
This book not only helped me feel seen, but it has also helped my partner, my best friend and my colleagues have better conversations with me and with others. And it’s only been out for two days!
If you identify as CALD, queer, female, or just lonely, this book will be like talking to a friend who understands. If you’d like to be a better friend to someone who is CALD, queer, female, or just lonely, give this a go.
Qin Qin has done the emotional labour for me of saying all these hard things to my loved ones. And we’re the better for it.
Thank you.
July 12, 2024
Qin Qin's parents are my friends. The first time I saw her at her home, she was about ten years old—a polite and seemingly happy girl eager to learn everything.
This book revealed a hidden side of her that shocked me. As a Chinese Australian and a father, I can relate to the efforts and sacrifices her parents made to ensure her success. The high expectations and encouragements they provided were aimed at channeling her toward success. However, the unintentional deprivation of choices and pressure to excel, driven by their love and deep-rooted desire for her to surpass them, suppressed her personality development and had enduring effect on her life.
she became a high achiever in the eyes of others. One paragraph in the book summarised predicament of people like her: "We spent the rest of our lives as overachieving, complex, and difficult women whose lives were rich with experiences of instability, self-sabotage, and the perpetual pursuit of external validation. This manifested in thrill-seeking adventures, disregarding our mortality, falling in and out of love, and escaping situations where there was no fear."
Qin Qin is extraordinarily intelligent and sensitive, perhaps a recipe for disaster. She sees what others don't see and feels what others can't feel. She struggled for years to find the meaning of her life, to explore her spiritual dimension, to connect with her body, to understand who she is and what she really wants, and to fight against her suppressed personality...
Reading through the book is like joining her life journey from a seat inside her mind. While I am aware that her journey is not mine and bears little resemblance to my life, it allowed me to intimately witness a life journey of a very different kind - a free spirit struggling in the complex world, searching for meaning. It also helped me understand my own adult child's life better. I realised that what I believed to be the optimal path to happiness in life is merely one of many paths that lead to lives rich in meaning and happiness. The meaning and purpose of life itself can be so broad and multi-dimensional, that no matter how one lives their life, they can acknowledge the presence of numerous other equally meaningful, fulfilling, and worthwhile ways of life.
Upon finishing this book, I felt as though I had engaged in a long, thought-provoking conversation with Qin Qin about her life journey, while also reflecting on my own. Thank you, Qin Qin, for your brutal honesty and openness in this book!
This book revealed a hidden side of her that shocked me. As a Chinese Australian and a father, I can relate to the efforts and sacrifices her parents made to ensure her success. The high expectations and encouragements they provided were aimed at channeling her toward success. However, the unintentional deprivation of choices and pressure to excel, driven by their love and deep-rooted desire for her to surpass them, suppressed her personality development and had enduring effect on her life.
she became a high achiever in the eyes of others. One paragraph in the book summarised predicament of people like her: "We spent the rest of our lives as overachieving, complex, and difficult women whose lives were rich with experiences of instability, self-sabotage, and the perpetual pursuit of external validation. This manifested in thrill-seeking adventures, disregarding our mortality, falling in and out of love, and escaping situations where there was no fear."
Qin Qin is extraordinarily intelligent and sensitive, perhaps a recipe for disaster. She sees what others don't see and feels what others can't feel. She struggled for years to find the meaning of her life, to explore her spiritual dimension, to connect with her body, to understand who she is and what she really wants, and to fight against her suppressed personality...
Reading through the book is like joining her life journey from a seat inside her mind. While I am aware that her journey is not mine and bears little resemblance to my life, it allowed me to intimately witness a life journey of a very different kind - a free spirit struggling in the complex world, searching for meaning. It also helped me understand my own adult child's life better. I realised that what I believed to be the optimal path to happiness in life is merely one of many paths that lead to lives rich in meaning and happiness. The meaning and purpose of life itself can be so broad and multi-dimensional, that no matter how one lives their life, they can acknowledge the presence of numerous other equally meaningful, fulfilling, and worthwhile ways of life.
Upon finishing this book, I felt as though I had engaged in a long, thought-provoking conversation with Qin Qin about her life journey, while also reflecting on my own. Thank you, Qin Qin, for your brutal honesty and openness in this book!
April 7, 2024
Wow! This is a book that I could not put down! Model Minority Gone Rogue by Qin Qin tells of her journey from a dutiful overachiever to finding her authentic self. It is a journey through multiple trials and tribulations, set-backs, self-doubt, happiness, and despair.
The book is fast-paced, compelling, breath-taking, not what I expected, and thought¬-provoking. Qin Qin’s bears her soul to face the demons of her past. It is a raw and confronting account. It is a courageous story to tell.
I met Qin Qin and her husband James at a yoga studio in Canberra. Little did I know that the quiet and meditative woman on the mat opposite me had faced more difficulties in life than most. It has been a long time since I finished a book in a weekend, but Model Minority Gone Rogue is a tough, but captivating read. From corporate lawyer, a Harvard degree, to working with the United Nations, one would think that Qin Qin had a perfect career and promising future. However, she struggled with the expectations of her Australian-Chinese identity, and moved between jobs, countries, and relationships, on a roller coaster of emotions and, at times abuse, looking for a better future.
Qin Qin is in a good place now with an inner peace and spiritual calmness. I am reminded of the poem Invictus by English poet Willam Henley. Despite the turmoil of the years, Qin Qin’s head is “bloody, but unbowed”. She has reclaimed her identity and now in a place where she is the master of her fate, and the captain of her soul.
I look forward to many more yoga sessions with Qin Qin and James and hearing about the next chapters of their lives.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
The book is fast-paced, compelling, breath-taking, not what I expected, and thought¬-provoking. Qin Qin’s bears her soul to face the demons of her past. It is a raw and confronting account. It is a courageous story to tell.
I met Qin Qin and her husband James at a yoga studio in Canberra. Little did I know that the quiet and meditative woman on the mat opposite me had faced more difficulties in life than most. It has been a long time since I finished a book in a weekend, but Model Minority Gone Rogue is a tough, but captivating read. From corporate lawyer, a Harvard degree, to working with the United Nations, one would think that Qin Qin had a perfect career and promising future. However, she struggled with the expectations of her Australian-Chinese identity, and moved between jobs, countries, and relationships, on a roller coaster of emotions and, at times abuse, looking for a better future.
Qin Qin is in a good place now with an inner peace and spiritual calmness. I am reminded of the poem Invictus by English poet Willam Henley. Despite the turmoil of the years, Qin Qin’s head is “bloody, but unbowed”. She has reclaimed her identity and now in a place where she is the master of her fate, and the captain of her soul.
I look forward to many more yoga sessions with Qin Qin and James and hearing about the next chapters of their lives.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
October 7, 2024
I was doing my usual meander of my local bookstores when I this cover caught my entire being and I froze... am I looking at myself? Currently in the deep end of my own journey unlearning how to be a responsible, demure, wildly intelligent and successful yet obedient eldest daughter, I knew I had to pick this book up immediately and start annotating.
I also started crying. Reflected on all my past and current relationships; friendship, familial, romantic, with myself. Rejoiced in knowing that it's okay to keep evolving and straying from conventional paths to find meaning. Let go of the guilt that comes with feeling selfish that I'm privileged enough to chase passions in the first place. Validated in feeling rage at fighting for rights and equality in a white supremacist, able-bodied, and heteronormative patriarchy.
Thank you Qin Qin!
I also started crying. Reflected on all my past and current relationships; friendship, familial, romantic, with myself. Rejoiced in knowing that it's okay to keep evolving and straying from conventional paths to find meaning. Let go of the guilt that comes with feeling selfish that I'm privileged enough to chase passions in the first place. Validated in feeling rage at fighting for rights and equality in a white supremacist, able-bodied, and heteronormative patriarchy.
Thank you Qin Qin!
September 1, 2024
Great book for anyone who is interested in understanding more of the Asian Australian cultural identity and perspective towards working and living. Qin Qin’s upbringing and stories are written with genuineness, authenticity and vulnerability. Very easy to read too.
September 28, 2025
Started off strong — hilarious, heartfelt, and relatable. I hate her ex with the passion of a thousand suns. Truly despicable.
Unfortunately, the last hundred pages felt rushed and written without sufficient temporal distance. I wasn’t really sure what this final “authentic life” was?
Unfortunately, the last hundred pages felt rushed and written without sufficient temporal distance. I wasn’t really sure what this final “authentic life” was?
April 1, 2024
A journey of in-depth self discovery, self reflection and soul searching, presented with honesty and a good sense of humour.
April 1, 2024
Recommended to me by one of my favourite people and I was quite simply captivated.
Qin Qin tells her story on her own terms, her writing is beautiful, direct and so clever - witty but not self-deprecating.
This is a brilliant and moving book, and a perspective should have heard more before but grateful to have now.
Qin Qin tells her story on her own terms, her writing is beautiful, direct and so clever - witty but not self-deprecating.
This is a brilliant and moving book, and a perspective should have heard more before but grateful to have now.
June 14, 2025
Insightful and thought provoking.
This memoir articulates the inherent need for most people, particularly migrants, to fulfil the desires of their parents and the expectations of their culture. The author is equal parts vulnerable in sharing her (sometimes traumatic) experiences and bold in questioning the purpose of our lives, particularly when our bodies are telling us something is not right.
I highly recommend for anyone who's interested in Asian Australian culture, education or reading an interesting memoir!
This memoir articulates the inherent need for most people, particularly migrants, to fulfil the desires of their parents and the expectations of their culture. The author is equal parts vulnerable in sharing her (sometimes traumatic) experiences and bold in questioning the purpose of our lives, particularly when our bodies are telling us something is not right.
I highly recommend for anyone who's interested in Asian Australian culture, education or reading an interesting memoir!
March 29, 2024
Funny, graceful, delicate handling of trauma, serious and wry cultural observations. An unrelenting quest to better oneself, and how the ambition to succeed can undermine the goal.
December 31, 2024
This book is a compelling read for anyone who's struggling with trying to find their purpose in life and is plagued with those nagging questions which never go away - what is my purpose in life? What am I here to do?
Qin Qn, who used a palatable English name - Lisa - growing up in Canberra, Australia details her progression through her hectic, but ultimately unfulfilling career as a lawyer, quitting the soulless corporate hustle to teach at a disadvantaged school on the outskirts of Melbourne.
Being academically gifted and driven, but realizing the limits of her ambition in being able to make positive change, due to structural deficiencies (in our education system for example) is a bit of a recurring theme. Another constant theme is satisfying expectations, imposed by her Tiger Mom, society-at-large, patriarchal expectations of women, and of course, herself.
As the novel progresses she questions where these impositions come from, and whom or what she is really satisfying by this drive to always make an impact.
She's exhausted - "It doesn't need to be this hard" she tells herself, when she starts to realize it's ok to take a step back.
The novel also details her time at grad school at Harvard, working for UNICEF in Beijing, wild partying in Shanghai, and yoga retreats in Southern China and India. There are also harrowing tales of abusive partners, and the lies she told herself to rationalize the abuse.
This is a debut book, but she writes like a seasoned pro, and this book was a great mix of a coming of age journey, with a bit of self help vibe at the end.
But it's not boring or abstract self-help, it ties in nicely to the plot (we even get a love story at the end!) and it's very meaningful. Highly recommend (you don't need to be of Asian heritage with Tiger parents to appreciate this!)
Qin Qn, who used a palatable English name - Lisa - growing up in Canberra, Australia details her progression through her hectic, but ultimately unfulfilling career as a lawyer, quitting the soulless corporate hustle to teach at a disadvantaged school on the outskirts of Melbourne.
Being academically gifted and driven, but realizing the limits of her ambition in being able to make positive change, due to structural deficiencies (in our education system for example) is a bit of a recurring theme. Another constant theme is satisfying expectations, imposed by her Tiger Mom, society-at-large, patriarchal expectations of women, and of course, herself.
As the novel progresses she questions where these impositions come from, and whom or what she is really satisfying by this drive to always make an impact.
She's exhausted - "It doesn't need to be this hard" she tells herself, when she starts to realize it's ok to take a step back.
The novel also details her time at grad school at Harvard, working for UNICEF in Beijing, wild partying in Shanghai, and yoga retreats in Southern China and India. There are also harrowing tales of abusive partners, and the lies she told herself to rationalize the abuse.
This is a debut book, but she writes like a seasoned pro, and this book was a great mix of a coming of age journey, with a bit of self help vibe at the end.
But it's not boring or abstract self-help, it ties in nicely to the plot (we even get a love story at the end!) and it's very meaningful. Highly recommend (you don't need to be of Asian heritage with Tiger parents to appreciate this!)
October 11, 2025
Relatable read for me as an ethnic woman in Australia. Read it on two days.
I appreciate the brutal openness the author offers. She doesn’t deny how she was complicit in the racism and sexism she was subjected to. A lot of women realise in our later years how we played the game to get ahead instead of challenging the structures that kept us down.
Reminds me of Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota, a memoir of a high achieving Asian Australian med student aiming for the male dominated world of surgery, but breaking down and leaving her profession due to the sexism, racism and inhumane work hours.
Easy to read but gets repetitive. It’s a realistic depiction of unhealthy patterns that keep you stuck. I skimmed the last quarter of the book. I’m glad she got a decent relationship at least.
As someone who attempted teaching as a wide eyed hopeful young adult wanting to change the world, I related to her story. She shows how the conditions of our workplaces break our dreams and motivation so we’re no longer there to change anything but just get paid.
It’s a book that tells more than it shows.
She’s got a lot of capacity and mentions many a times when people tell her she’s underestimating herself. This book really hits home how lack of self esteem and purpose can render you helpless.
Interesting look at a high achiever who hit all the targets (Harvard, UN, too law firms) but let it all go.
What it does well is tracing the roots of her parents trauma and how it impacts her.
I appreciate the brutal openness the author offers. She doesn’t deny how she was complicit in the racism and sexism she was subjected to. A lot of women realise in our later years how we played the game to get ahead instead of challenging the structures that kept us down.
Reminds me of Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota, a memoir of a high achieving Asian Australian med student aiming for the male dominated world of surgery, but breaking down and leaving her profession due to the sexism, racism and inhumane work hours.
Easy to read but gets repetitive. It’s a realistic depiction of unhealthy patterns that keep you stuck. I skimmed the last quarter of the book. I’m glad she got a decent relationship at least.
As someone who attempted teaching as a wide eyed hopeful young adult wanting to change the world, I related to her story. She shows how the conditions of our workplaces break our dreams and motivation so we’re no longer there to change anything but just get paid.
It’s a book that tells more than it shows.
She’s got a lot of capacity and mentions many a times when people tell her she’s underestimating herself. This book really hits home how lack of self esteem and purpose can render you helpless.
Interesting look at a high achiever who hit all the targets (Harvard, UN, too law firms) but let it all go.
What it does well is tracing the roots of her parents trauma and how it impacts her.
November 3, 2024
My one sentence review would be: A raw, soul-baringly brave account of an Asian-Australian woman going through an extended long night of the soul and emerging into the daylight with many scars - but wiser, and more in touch with herself today.
(Disclaimer: I'm in the circle of acquaintance of the author; but I will do my best to review it as a neutral Asian-Australian reader myself. I read this book a few months ago, but I'm new to Goodreads reviewing and this is actually only my fourth GR review.)
On and off over the years, I've heard tidbits about Qin's coming and goings. But I never would've thought that I would see this bright Asian-Australian woman completely flip the model minority script and gone off the deep end with some super deep and heavy and also spicy adventures! I can only imagine the hand-wringing that her parents would've experienced. She's done a lot of things I'd never do myself, but also some things where I should've gone "And why the heck didn't I just do something unexpected like she did, and not do it because someone else told me to?" Well, maybe that time is now, and this book was an inspiration. I wouldn't write much more here because they'd be spoilers (but let's just say my one sentence review above really says it all).
Edit: I just couldn't resist adding this: "Qin Qin is definitely NOT a Chua* Pet."
*: Amy Chua - Tiger Mom, innit? :)
(Disclaimer: I'm in the circle of acquaintance of the author; but I will do my best to review it as a neutral Asian-Australian reader myself. I read this book a few months ago, but I'm new to Goodreads reviewing and this is actually only my fourth GR review.)
On and off over the years, I've heard tidbits about Qin's coming and goings. But I never would've thought that I would see this bright Asian-Australian woman completely flip the model minority script and gone off the deep end with some super deep and heavy and also spicy adventures! I can only imagine the hand-wringing that her parents would've experienced. She's done a lot of things I'd never do myself, but also some things where I should've gone "And why the heck didn't I just do something unexpected like she did, and not do it because someone else told me to?" Well, maybe that time is now, and this book was an inspiration. I wouldn't write much more here because they'd be spoilers (but let's just say my one sentence review above really says it all).
Edit: I just couldn't resist adding this: "Qin Qin is definitely NOT a Chua* Pet."
*: Amy Chua - Tiger Mom, innit? :)
October 7, 2024
Wow. I felt so seen, but also now I feel so unfulfilled! My life could never be that rigid and overachieving, nor so wild and free. Definitely a worthwhile read about letting go, slowing down, and finding true meaning in your life.
I did want to see Qin Qin go into more detail about her tiger mother – actually I feel like her family and the dynamic she has with them was a little lacking in the book (aside from the anecdotes from her return to China). The fact that detail is highlighted as a subtitle had me assuming there would be.
I did want to see Qin Qin go into more detail about her tiger mother – actually I feel like her family and the dynamic she has with them was a little lacking in the book (aside from the anecdotes from her return to China). The fact that detail is highlighted as a subtitle had me assuming there would be.
November 28, 2024
This book was initially engaging but it soon became frustrating as I felt the author at no point showed gratitude and personal responsibility for her life situation. Being as daughter of a Tiger Mum sounds awful, sexual abuse awful. I don't get how the author says she was mother to get own mother when she was absent from her lfe. To be clear any woman living in Australia has difficulties and the definition of ", minorities" is limited and not understood by the author. At no time did the author acknowledge her immense opportunities and overall that made me feel this book was self indulgent.
November 14, 2024
Was kind of bored from the beginning of the book. Wanted to like it but didn’t end up finishing it.
Fave quote from the book is a quote of someone else:
'Thank the people who have helped and supported you. It is through them that you know love. Thank the people who have hurt and harmed you. It is through them that you know forgiveness.'
Fave quote from the book is a quote of someone else:
'Thank the people who have helped and supported you. It is through them that you know love. Thank the people who have hurt and harmed you. It is through them that you know forgiveness.'
July 7, 2024
A good quote about people who end up in Harvard, over confident but very insecure... Wonder if your former students from Corio have enough gossip fodder about what you did after you left teaching, if they ever come across this...
November 19, 2025
Compelling and relatable memoir that grapples with some serious themes while maintaining it's sense of humour. There's wisdom in Qin Qin's search for meaning and how she responds to traumatic life events - and she's had a fascinating life. Well worth a read.
November 29, 2025
5 stars for the creative writing. Impressed and entertained how certain ideas were conveyed in the book. Easy to read too. I resonated with parts of the book, although I kinda understand why other reviewers would perceive this book as self indulgent.
March 29, 2024
Qin Qin poured her soul into this book. That would be enough, but she's also a bloody good writer.
May 21, 2024
Qin Qin shares her hard won insights through the vulnerable and graceful telling of her model minority experience - but the truths she learned are true for us all.
June 15, 2024
Between 3 to 4.
October 10, 2024
No-holds barred and highly original memoir.
October 29, 2024
This book spoke to my soul
August 9, 2024
4-5⭐️ I’m wavering. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but perhaps that’s exactly why it should be a 5⭐️ - it’s brutally honest. It challenged me…I need to think about it some more!
June 29, 2024
I can see what the author was trying to do with this one but it really fell flat for me. I was hoping for a worthwhile or somewhat thought-out finish but was sorely met with a trite ending and rushed epilogue.
I had expected this book to explore her broader ambitions (career-related or not) and how she figures out what it is she wants to do with her life, but instead spirituality acts as a blanket solution for her problems - will a yoga retreat really solve everything?
I wish the author had spoken more about her childhood. She hints that it has led to her haunting self destructive tendencies and yet, there is only a brief mention of her parents sprinkled throughout. It feels like the author has carefully left out important (albeit personal) parts of her life despite promoting a tell-all type of storytelling.
Near the end of the book, there’s an interesting point made about the two different types of writers - planners and pantsers. Unfortunately you can tell that the author is the latter from the lack of a clear direction and message.
I had expected this book to explore her broader ambitions (career-related or not) and how she figures out what it is she wants to do with her life, but instead spirituality acts as a blanket solution for her problems - will a yoga retreat really solve everything?
I wish the author had spoken more about her childhood. She hints that it has led to her haunting self destructive tendencies and yet, there is only a brief mention of her parents sprinkled throughout. It feels like the author has carefully left out important (albeit personal) parts of her life despite promoting a tell-all type of storytelling.
Near the end of the book, there’s an interesting point made about the two different types of writers - planners and pantsers. Unfortunately you can tell that the author is the latter from the lack of a clear direction and message.
October 30, 2024
I appreciated and applaud Qin Qin's raw honesty in this book. It must have taken immense courage to share such intimate experiences, particularly given the cultural expectations of being a "good girl". She also writes with humour - her first page referencing bitter melon made me laugh out loud.
While the title references a "Tiger Mother," I found myself yearning for a deeper exploration of this pivotal figure and her influence on Qin Qin's life. The parents seemed supportive when she returned to their home in Canberra but, at the same time, my heart broke for Qin Qin when she wrote that she couldn't tell them about her troubles because they would be disappointed. Perhaps we can look foward to a future book that could delve into this formative period and shed further light on the dynamics.
While the title references a "Tiger Mother," I found myself yearning for a deeper exploration of this pivotal figure and her influence on Qin Qin's life. The parents seemed supportive when she returned to their home in Canberra but, at the same time, my heart broke for Qin Qin when she wrote that she couldn't tell them about her troubles because they would be disappointed. Perhaps we can look foward to a future book that could delve into this formative period and shed further light on the dynamics.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews