Chua, Rubenfeld Coming to Portsmouth

On Thursday, Feb. 5, The Music Hall’s Writers in the Loftseries welcomes to Portsmouth Amy Chua, author of the thought-provoking book on parenting Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and her co-author husband and fellow legal scholar Jed Rubenfeld. The couple will discuss their provocative and controversial new work, The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America, which examines the success attained by certain social groups in the United States today. Backed by original research pointing to startling statistics, Chua and Rubenfeld open the door to debating exactly why some individuals thrive and achieve dizzying heights of success while others do not.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation and moderated Q+A, plus a book signing and meet-and-greet. It will be held at the Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress Street, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Focusing on why certain cultural groups do better in America than others, the authors suggest that a unique combination of traits – a superiority complex, insecurity, and impulse control –ultimately generates the drive and grit to succeed. The Triple Package is a far-reaching and controversial sociological undertaking, raising difficult questions about success, race, and culture in America.

“Backed by thorough research conducted at an academic level of rigor and depth, the work of this dynamic lawyer-professor-author couple asks some demanding questions of its readers. Whether you agree with The Triple Package hypothesis or not, this is a discussion that you will not want to miss,” says Margaret Talcott, Producer of the Writers in the Loft series and the evening’s moderator.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mormons have recently risen to astonishing business success. Cubans in Miami climbed from poverty to prosperity in a generation. Nigerians earn doctorates at stunningly high rates. Indian and Chinese Americans have much higher incomes than other Americans. Income levels among the Jewish community may be the highest of all.

Why do some groups rise? The Triple Package points to the ingredients of their success. A superiority complex, insecurity, impulse control—these are the elements of the The Triple Package, the rare and potent cultural constellation that drives disproportionate group success. According to the authors, The Triple Package is open to anyone. America itself was once a Triple Package culture. It’s been losing that edge for a long time now. Even as headlines proclaim the death of upward mobility in America, the authors argue that the old-fashioned American Dream is very much alive—but some groups have a cultural edge, which enables them to take advantage of opportunity far more than others.

• Americans are taught that everyone is equal, that no group is superior to another. But remarkably, all of America’s most successful groups believe (even if they don’t say so aloud) that they’re exceptional, chosen, superior in some way.
• Americans are taught that self-esteem—feeling good about yourself—is the key to a successful life. But in all of America’s most successful groups, people tend to feel insecure, inadequate, that they have to prove themselves.
• America today spreads a message of immediate gratification, living for the moment. But all of America’s most successful groups cultivate heightened discipline and impulse control.

Fascinating conclusions, but The Triple Package also has a dark underside. Each of its elements carries distinctive pathologies; when taken to an extreme, they can have truly toxic effects. Should people strive for the Triple Package? Should America? Ultimately, the authors conclude that the Triple Package is a ladder that should be climbed and then kicked away, drawing on its power but breaking free from its constraints.

Provocative and profound, The Triple Package challenges how we think about success and achievement. Join us for an evening with this acclaimed author duo and learn more about their book and its conclusions about America today.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld are professors at Yale Law School. Chua is the John M. Duff, Jr. Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Chua’s most recent book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, was an international bestseller. In 2011, Time magazine named Chua one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Rubenfeld is the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He is the author of two books of constitutional law—Freedom and Time and Revolution by Judiciary—along with two novels, the international bestsellers The Death Instinct and The Interpretation of Murder.

TICKETS

The ticket package for Writers in the Loft: Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld on Thursday, February 5, at 7pm is $31. In addition to a reserved seat, the package includes a copy of THE TRIPLE PACKAGE: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America (paperback, $17), a bar beverage, and book signing meet-and-greet. Packages can be purchased through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or online at www.themusichall.org.

Submitted text and courtesy photo.