Reading response #1

The Triple Package by Amy Chua—4/1/2014(50 pages read)

Today I read about how some groups in America do better than others in areas of academics test scores, business and income. According to this book, the reason why some people do better in those areas is because they all have a something in common; the author calls this the triple package. The triple package is a set of three characteristics a superiority complex, insecurity, and impulse control. Groups with the triple package are making more money, getting the best scores on college placement test and are being admitted to the top music schools; they are getting top management jobs and are creating and growing businesses.

According to this book, it is not race, ethnicity or social status that determines success; people are not born with intelligence to achieve success. It is a culture that includes the triple package that can almost guarantee success in America. America was built by people who had the triple package. They had the superiority complex so they wanted freedom and rights. They had insecurities for being outcasts form other countries. And they had impulse control because of their religious believes.   

 Some people claim that upward mobility in America is dead, that is that kids cannot expect to be better financially than their parents. But group that have the triple package are still moving up, and doing better than their parents in business, politics and finances. Such immigrants and children of immigrants have more successful startup business.  Mormons have been recently being notice for taking top management position in business and in politics; they are wealthier than other religious groups. Cubans escape their country leaving all their property behind, arriving to Miami unable to speak English and in one generation they went from poverty to prosperity.  Jews have higher income than any other group of people.  I didn’t notice before how some groups of people do better than other but this book has a lot demographic and statistical data to support their claims.