I picked this up because I wanted to understand why certain groups seemed to be more successful in America than others. The Triple Package suggests that these group successes are a result of the close interplay between 3 factors namely

• An innate feeling of superiority that is unique to said group.
• A special kind of insecurity — the kind that drives you to constantly want to prove yourself.
• Self control — the kind that makes you defer/delay gratification, so you can study longer, work harder or be more sexually responsible because of the perceived opportunity cost.

Some of the groups highlighted were Indians, Chinese, Nigerians, Jews, Mormons, Iranians etc

Amy Chua & Jed Rubenfeld also discussed how The Triple Package is markedly missing in some of the worst economically performing groups in the US like Appalachians and Black Americans — who have been systematically robbed of some of its factors

Another important point raised was that some elements of The Triple Package gradually get eroded with success and assimilation. At the same time, anyone — irrespective of their identity — can adopt these elements to their advantage.

While the resulting success is admirable, The Triple Package has it downsides some of which were highlighted and discussed in the book

Overall, I found the theory plausible and the book a balanced attempt at explaining the phenomenon of group success in America.