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This is the only independent biography of Bruce Lee, and it is complete in terms of both the martial arts and the movies. Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Bruce Lee , please sign up.
Dale Mallows Is he alive? No, he is not, sadly. See 1 question about Bruce Lee…. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Oh how we "love" an untimely death of a celebrity I mean, even an expected death can turn a celebrity into a cult icon see Steve Jobs , but if we take it a step further - a star struck down in the prime of his life out of the blue? Kennedy or a Bruce Lee.
Those are the best, because you can romanticize about them and wrap them in myth. They left us before fucking up and falling from our graces: But as the years p Oh how we "love" an untimely death of a celebrity But as the years pass after their death, people turn them into cultural symbols, lift them on pedestals so high that it becomes increasingly hard to dig through the bullshit and get to know the real person underneath the layers of fiction. This book really gives you a glimpse of Bruce Lee the human. Before he became the patron saint of martial arts, he was a cocky and arrogant young man.
Plus, if he grew up today, he would probably be diagnosed with ADHD in his teen years. Reading through his adult years, I think it was pretty obvious that he had a tremendous ego with a good deal of vanity and pretentiousness. Those are normal human traits and they helped me separate "Bruce Lee the person" from "Bruce Lee the legend". All of us have these flaws and I consider vanity to be a useful tool. Some of the greatest people in history were vain - that is is what fueled many of them.
For example, I was way happier to read that Lee ordered a gold Rolls Royce for himself after filming Enter the Dragon - because that is what a real human being would do, as opposed to a martial arts demigod, who'd build an orphan shelter on top of a snowy mountain.
The book had it's flaws, though. The main thing that surprised me was that Bruce's early years were covered far better in terms of a biography than his few fame years in the 70s. Starting with the film The Big Boss the book turned into a "making-of" recap for all his following projects - with very few details on his personal life during stardom. Also, the author is a self-confessed Bruce Lee fan. So there were certain parts of the book that lacked traditional journalism and focused on hearsay or spirituality.
I mean, I try to be as openminded as the next guy, but when he started discussing Lee's death from the point of view of energies, dark forces and chi, that was a bit too much woo-woo for me.
Still, I doubt that at this moment there is a better and more complete biography of Lee. The information provided here was enough for me to form my own opinion of this almost mythical creature - and, after stripping away the fiction and bullshit, this is what I think of Bruce Lee the mortal: Bruce Lee the philosopher. A lot of people, especially martial arts enthusiasts, like to quote Lee and recite his wisdom. Truth of the matter is, very few of "his quotes" are actually his. Bruce studied philosophy at the University of Washington and read many a philosophy book - no doubt he was very interested in the subject, but a lot of words attributed to him are actually borrowed from notable figures like Goethe, Krishnamurti or writings like Tao Te Ching.
This book even noted, that his own girlfriend, told Lee that he doesn't always practice what he preaches: That is a bit pretentious. Sorry, but I don't consider him a philosopher. Bruce Lee the martial artist. That is a tricky topic. He never fought in competition, so everything we assume is based on witness testimony, hearsay and your own imagination. What we do know, is that he was held in very high regard by people who did compete on the highest level and who's skills are legitimate, like Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris.
Put it simply, that if he was a fraud and had nothing to offer, they wouldn't give him the time of day. Several things are obvious: Lee had a talent and hunger for learning; he had discipline and incredible speed. Today, he is thought of by many as the original mixed martial artist - on some level, the patriarch and inspiration for this young sport.
Could a prime Bruce Lee enter the Octagon in and hold a championship at pounds? No, don't be silly - he would be destroyed by any of the top five fighters in a heartbeat. But if the timelines were to be different and Bruce was born in the late 80s, started training MMA right from the start - it would be an incredible thing to witness him beating the bejesus out of a Demetrious Johnson, for example. All in all, the man was very special, but I think that we need to separate Lee the person from Lee the martial arts symbol.
As a person, he was a motivated and charismatic athlete, but flawed in many human ways. As a symbol, the hero worship surrounding his name is warranted, because Bruce the fictional character has millions of people around the World aspiring to greater things. Feb 11, Patrick rated it liked it. Pretty sweet crazy book for people that are into martial arts and want to get a little more insight into the life a this amazing man. The text reveals a little more of his real life, the struggles he dealt with and his inability to control his drive to be the best, which fueled his other desires, like his pain and anger, all of which overwhelmed him in the end.
The book does however make it clear that he was probably the fasters son of bitch ever and could hit you 5 times before you know what wa Pretty sweet crazy book for people that are into martial arts and want to get a little more insight into the life a this amazing man. The book does however make it clear that he was probably the fasters son of bitch ever and could hit you 5 times before you know what was happening.
Bruce Lee was one of my youth heroes, especially when I was still actively training martial arts. I always know that I will never be Bruce Lee or even excell in martial art. However the experience of learning him and martial art in general has been beneficial to my health and fighting spirit.
One thing that this book also tells the reader is Lee's passion to philosophy. He is not merely depicted as someone skillful in the art of fighting and a succesful film star. But then again, Bruce died so y Bruce Lee was one of my youth heroes, especially when I was still actively training martial arts.
But then again, Bruce died so young. We will never know how his fighting system or philosophy will fulfill its claims. Oct 13, Chad B rated it liked it. This is actually my first biography so I don't have much to compare with it. I learned a great deal about the life of Bruce Lee. Obviously he was a great inspiration to the martial arts world. My only complaint is the editing. I noticed quite a few errors. Also, it's quite an interesting read if you're looking to study about the history of Kung Fu and the side of Bruce Lee not known to many!
Jul 07, Kris Hirst rated it it was amazing. Fantastic insight into one of the greatest fighters of all time. Dec 11, Vignesh Mohan rated it liked it.
Well written biography of such a legend. Nicely put to describe his complex characteristics. Aug 04, Paul Moore rated it really liked it. All you need to know about the legend. Oct 18, Sam Davidson rated it really liked it. I have been obsessed with Bruce Lee and martial arts especially in film most of my life so I was drawn to this book as soon as I seen it on a shelf.
I only knew a small portion about his life so I was unsure what to expect or if what was told within the pages was accurate. Thomas' Fighting Spirit is the story of Siu Lung Little Dragon and his metamorphosis from child actor to teenage hoodlum; from martial artist to international superstar and media martyrdom at thirty two.
Today, he is thought of by many as the original mixed martial artist - on some level, the patriarch and inspiration for this young sport. The photo on the cover Add both to Cart Add both to List. Bruce Lee the philosopher. Thomas' Fighting Spirit is the story of Siu Lung Little Dragon and his metamorphosis from child actor to teenage hoodlum; from martial artist to international superstar and media martyrdom at thirty two. His struggle for physical perfection and his attempt for fame. Apr 05, Chris Hayhurst rated it really liked it.
If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend. As the political sturm und drang of the Tibetan conflict threaten to engulf the event, Parson's assertion that Olympiad is a demonstration of national pride and a chance to say to the world "You can't look down on us anymore" - the fact of the matter is - the world hasn't looked down on China since Bruce Lee. Read it on a flight to Los angeles when it first came out. Read it again on the way back.
That was different but then I got something different every time it was read again. What does that say about the writing when you are compelled to read it more than twice? Much adulation of Bruce's work and persona has been repeated to the point canonization still decades after his passing. But not much of anything on Bruce, the flawed eccentric. The bio storm following his death was just as shallow as it was necessary but how could you get to know a man who was gone on the cusp of his arrival? This author has come as close as anyone could while being free of the "enthusiast bias".
Its one of the more even handed writing style biographies ever written on Lee and it worked without the photos. There were many Bruce personae that pulled punches if you will, that is, fashioned for the public The real Bruce was rarely seen. The photo on the cover That was the real Bruce in front of his home in Kowloon who didn't mind the camera catching him in the middle of that rare joy before fame pressed its foot on his neck.
He didn't smile or pull any more punches after that. The book doesn't either. Bruce Lee fighting spirit not only covers the greatness of Bruce Lees life but also covers bruce lees spiritual makeup and how he reached his full potential as a martial artist on a philosoghical level. This book too can give you a piece of bruce lees energy and give you the inspiration to achieve your goals in life.
On the spiritual level, its very deep as well. Ill say a two significent quotes from the book. Also , if you seek to use martial arts as a vechicle for self-awareness or to understand life on a spiritual level, its this book. Great, rich account of Bruce Lee's life and essence. I keep re-reading sections. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. The thing to remember about great icons, even the late great Bruce Lee, the godfather of martial art movies is that we are all human, and as such we are all flawed.
Personally I was for a long time reluctant to read a bio of Bruce Lee, he was the reason I got into the martial arts, I know I'm one if millions! And friends told me it's hard to find an objective narrative of the man and the myth. Most are either a tribute or a slur, and neither is helpfull when you want to get to know the man behind the myth.
This book was one of the few that was told to do just that. It was still with trepidation I started reading it. I must say it wasn't as bad as I feared, but you do get to know about the mans flaws, but also about his good traits, his motivations, his background, and so on.. It was a good bio, but I still feel somewhat melancholy finish it.
Such genius, such ability, such promise, gone to soon and so unnecessarily..
A good book and a plesant reading by a good writer. There's not so much new information in this book, but it puts facts in perspective a gives a good general body of information for those wishing to begin to learn about Bruce Lee's life. And what a life It was a shame. One person found this helpful.
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