Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee

by John Little

NO RULES. NO PROBLEM. Bruce Lee remains the gold standard that all martial artists are compared to. But could he actually fight? World Champions in karate competition have gone on record to point out that he never once competed in tournaments. Were his martial abilities merely a trick of the camera? For the first time ever, Bruce Lee authority and bestselling author John Little takes a hard look at Bruce Lee’s real-life fights to definitively answer these questions with over 30 years of research that took him thousands of miles. Little has tracked down over 30 witnesses to the real fights of Bruce Lee as well as those who were present at his many sparring sessions (in which he was never defeated) against the very best martial artists in the world. From the mean streets of Hong Kong, to challenge matches in Seattle and Oakland, to the sets of his iconic films where he was challenged repeatedly, this is the incredible real-life fighting record of the man known as the “Little Dragon,” who may well have been the greatest fighter of the 20th century.

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[John Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.” BUT—there is a LOT of fighting.…..

Book Information

“Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee” by John Little is a 320-page memoir. It was published on September 5, 2023. The audio version is narrated by David Shih, spans 7 hours and 31 minutes, and was released on September 25th. Thank you to RB Media for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.

Summary

Is Bruce Lee's fighting prowess just a camera trick or a real deal? Renowned author John Little, a Bruce Lee authority, has conducted extensive research spanning over 30 years, traveling thousands of miles to get to the bottom of this question. Little has interviewed more than 30 eyewitnesses to Bruce Lee's actual fights and those who witnessed his sparring sessions (where he was never defeated) against top martial artists worldwide. From the streets of Hong Kong to challenge matches in Seattle and Oakland, even on the sets of his famous films where he faced repeated challenges, this is the true story of Bruce Lee's fighting legacy

My Thoughts

John Little's "Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee" is an incredibly captivating and entertaining journey into the life of the legendary martial artist. Little's unique approach to chronicling Bruce Lee's life sets this book apart from the rest.

Rather than merely listing his fights, Little delves deep into Bruce Lee's transformation from a hot-tempered youth, entangled in street fights and gang activities, to the visionary who possessed a rare ability to perceive the world differently, through both a martial art and a life lense. Little highlights the natural talent that Bruce Lee possessed but also emphasizes the years of unwavering dedication and rigorous training, both mentally and physically, that molded him into the iconic athlete and star that the world came to know.

The book offers readers a fascinating glimpse into Bruce Lee's early life, even revealing intriguing anecdotes, such as his parents making him wear a dress to bed to ward off malevolent spirits. It takes us behind the scenes of Lee's final film, "Enter the Dragon," shedding light on the constant challenges he faced throughout his life. John Little's meticulous research not only explores the extensive material available on Bruce Lee but also engages with firsthand witnesses and those who fought with and against him. This commitment to comprehensive research adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.

The book is a treasure trove of details about Bruce Lee's martial arts journey, showcasing when and how he acquired various martial arts skills and how he ingeniously integrated elements from other styles, such as boxing and fencing, into his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do.

For fans of Bruce Lee's movies, particularly classics like "Enter the Dragon," this book unveils the drama that unfolded behind the scenes, providing a riveting backdrop to Lee's cinematic triumphs. Additionally, it sheds light on the relentless challenges he faced from fellow martial artists in his day-to-day life.

As the book draws to a close, John Little presents readers with heartfelt quotes and tributes from Bruce Lee's contemporaries and those he inspired, offering a poignant conclusion to this gripping exploration of Bruce Lee's life through his real-life battles.

Recommendation

In "Wrath of the Dragon," John Little's meticulous research, unique perspective, and engaging storytelling combine to create an enthralling portrait of Bruce Lee, making this book a must-read for anyone intrigued by the life and legend of the martial arts icon. Little's work truly brings Bruce Lee's story to life, from his fiery youth to his legendary status in the world of martial arts and film. Strongly recommended.

Rating

4 Beimo Stars

[barbara opowiada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jako wielka fanka Bruca Lee, czytanie tej biografii to była dla mnie czystą ucztą🐉 Widać, jak autor bardzo dobrze przyłożył się do pokazania nam, jak walczył mistrz sztuk walk wszechczasów. Dobrze poprowadzony reasarch, co widać po przypisach. Czytało się bardzo dobrze i płynnie.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the movie “Enter the Dragon”, Bruce Lee became a household name and helped spawn interest in the art of kung fu. However, he had long been involved in martial arts long before he appeared in movies. This book by John Little is an excellent read about Lee’s involvement in the sport as a student, teacher and fighter as well as an actor.

The book’s synopsis states that Little spent over 30 years researching information on Lee, including eyewitnesses to his fights. There are two that are especially important in understanding the development of Lee’s mastery of martial arts. One is what can be best described as a boxing match between schools in Hong Kong in which Lee’s small school only had three fighters, but one of them was Lee and he used martial arts techniques not seen by any other boxer to gain the only win for his school.

The other comes later in his life, after he has immigrated to the United States and that is a fight with Wong Jack Man, another martial arts master, in a match that was supposed to be in secret as unlike the other fights portrayed in the book that are in a controlled environment, this one was on a rooftop and a no-holds-barred atmosphere. The attempts to keep it secret were so deep that reading about the means of getting to the rooftop were almost as exciting as reading about the match, which was an important milestone in the growth of the Bruce Lee legend.

His success in his business for teaching martial arts is also described in detail as well as his fights. No matter the topic, Little does a masterful job of describing the life of Bruce Lee through his real-life fights and encounters. Anyone interested in the life of Lee or martial arts will want to add this book to their library.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[David Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Wrath of the Dragon.

The following review first appeared at: https://www.equinoxx.info/2023/08/wra...

The summer of 1988 was the fifteenth anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing.

I pinpointed that particular time in history because - for me - it was when I was first introduced to films starring the Kung Fu expert.

One of my American cousins, who was staying with us at the time, took my sister and I to the video shop to rent out some cassettes. I cannot recall what my sister and I chose, but I sure do remember my cousin came home with The Way of the Dragon.

I loved that film. So much, in fact, that I watched it a second time before we had to take it back to the video store.

In the weeks, months and years that followed that introduction to Bruce Lee, I looked out for other films of his to loan out and - as they became more readily available - purchase for good.

My interest in martial arts movies expanded as I morphed into my teens opening the door for modern stars like Jean Claude Van Damme, Cynthia Rothrock and others.

The interest I had in Bruce Lee and those stars didn't expand beyond wanting to see their films. Well, not until I reached adulthood.

A few years ago, I found myself looking out for trailers of Bruce Lee films on YouTube and came across a number of videos that - for want of a better term - threw shade on Lee.

The critics I stumbled upon disputed nearly everything about Lee's background and claimed that his fighting style, and moves, were tricks of the camera.

They claimed that Lee was a gimmick. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I was left with a sour taste in my mouth because it was more than Lee's reputation on the line. One of my childhood memories was also tarnished.

I spent years questioning whether I had been suckered in by 'legend'. I needed something to counter and I believe I have found just that in Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee by John Little.

Little's book covers Bruce Lee's entire life, but it's done in a way where the lens is focused on the real-life fights Lee battled along the way.

Bruce Lee was the product of superstitious parents who feared their young boy would be taken away from evil spirits. To thwart the threat they believed in, Lee's mother and father dressed their son in female clothes and even enrolled their child in a girls' school.

Starting off the narrative with this piece of trivia made me question whether Bruce's journey to - what was then - the masculine world of martial arts spun-off from his first years on this planet.

Wrath of the Dragon's concept appears to be make a strong case against those critics who point to the fact Bruce Lee had never fought in a tournament environment to prove how great his skills really were.

With that in mind, I was particularly interested to see that - of all the real fights Little researched extensively since becoming a Bruce Lee fan from the age of twelve - Lee doesn't appear to have lost in any.

But, the critics keep pointing out that Lee didn't fight in real competition.

Or did he?

In an early part of the book, Little writes about a schools boxing tournament Bruce was a participant in. Lee obviously didn't use Wing Chung Kung Fu - the art he was two years into studying at the time of the boxing meet - in his fight with his rival, Gary Elms, however - it's safe to say that his combat skills were good enough on the day.

Lee defeated Elms in the three-round bout and did so against a formidable opponent who entered the ring as a dominant champion in their weight class.

Yes, it wasn't a kung fu battle, but it - to me - worked in favour for those who would like to argue that Lee would have performed well in a regulated contest in front of an audience.

Little's coverage of the school boxing event was amazing. I was surprised how much the author was able to research considering how long ago it took place. Little not only relayed the Lee .vs. Elms fight, he was able to give out the results for all of the other contests to highlight how Bruce and his classmates were deemed the underdogs to the other schools.

Even though I feel Bruce Lee's boxing win is important to highlight his skills in a regulated combat environment, a kung fu fight - which appears in the book's tenth chapter - is very significant.

It saw Bruce Lee accept the challenge of Wong Jack Man with the pair fighting behind closed doors with only a handful of eyewitnesses.

The 'Rumble in Oakland', as Little titled it in the chapter, resulted in Lee forcing his foe to 'yield'. Despite being victorious, Lee had to do so by chasing his backpedalling opponent and this - Lee realised - affected his energy resulting in Lee learning from the experience and improving his technique.

Little closed the chapter by noting that 'Neither Wong Jack Man nor Bruce Lee could have imagined that this encounter would be held up as one of the most significant fights in American martial arts history'.

Yet again, I was amazed at the amount of detail John Little was able to uncover about the 'Rumble in Oakland' especially because of the limited number of witnesses.

I was naïve to assume that Bruce Lee wouldn't have had his detractors during his lifetime. That made it even more stunning for me to read that he had his challenges while working on the set of his own movies.

Little was able to write about some extras on Enter the Dragon coming out during days of filming to lay challenges to the main star. Naturally, Lee won those encounters.

The book closes with John Little piecing together some words from Lee's contemporaries, and others who were inspired by the late star, to echo how important he was - and still is - to martial arts over fifty years since he passed away.

I felt fulfilled when I finished reading Wrath of the Dragon because I learned so much about Bruce Lee's life. My faith in Lee not being a fraud has been redeemed. And it's thanks to Wrath of the Dragon.

There are far too many sources in the book with the same stories. If there's corelation like that, then the legend has to be true.

Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee by John Little will be published as an eBook on September 5 2023. The physical copy will be published here in the UK on November 14 2023.

[Muhammad Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of John Little's books seem to be well-written and well-researched. I have yet to pick up a book by him to read except that I enjoyed reading the book. I enjoyed reading this book even though I don't really care at all about Bruce Lee as a person, nor am I concerned about the life of Bruce Lee.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband is a Bruce Lee superfan. Our first date was to a drive in movie of Enter the Dragon! I found this book very interesting but he has rated it excellent!!! John Little has given us some different perspective on the life of an athlete who still dominates his sport so many years after his death.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher ECW Press for an advance copy of this book looking at the life of a martial arts icon from the battles that he fought, and the lesson that the legend took from them.

Bruce Lee is one of those people that everyone feels they know, and yet so much about him is lost in the fog of myth and legend. A man who was both a martial arts master and teacher, a movie star who brought a genre of film into the mainstream, a cultural icon for different people and different reasons. A man who even his death, something that should be so bureaucratic and simple to tell is one of confusion and speculation. A bad heart? A reaction to pills, or maybe a removal of sweat glands? Ninjas and Triads? Death cults? Ascended to the door between worlds to fight the endless war between the elder gods and the subjugation of Earth? The last one is my pet theory. Even events that have plenty of witnesses, friends, foes or indifferent have grown in legend. Most of these legends deal with Bruce Lee' actual fighting ability. After his death it was accepted that many would downplay these skills, for ego, for jealousy, for money. Some fights were spoken in whispers, Lee not wanting to discuss them, many grew in stature as battles to the death, many were acts of a man who was still working on his rage. The truth was something undiscovered, until now. John Little, considered one of the experts in the training, writing and life of Bruce Lee has in Wrath of the Dragon: The Real Fights of Bruce Lee tried to pierce the veil and get to the truth of the battles that the Little Dragon, fought, and get a better grasp on the complicated human that was Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco in 1940, the Year of the Dragon, not 1941 as school records once had his birth listed as. Bruce Lee's father was a famous Cantonese opera star and was working in New York at the time, later returning to Hong Kong in 1941. Bruce's parents were afraid that the family had a curse after losing their first born son, and he was dressed as a girl, and even went to a girl's school until the age of nine. Bruce was an angry child, prone to fighting and pranks and soon his father asked a friend, the famed martial arts instructor Ip Man to train Bruce. Bruce Lee took to the martial arts with a passion, working, training, asking questions, pushing his body, even as he kept fighting in school, on the streets and on the screen as a burgeoning actor. Bruce was sent to America where he continued to train and learn, and getting into fights, but this time of a more competitive nature, facing challenges to his teaching, his attitude and sometimes because of his anger. Bruce Lee learned from everything, and soon he was sharing with others, and the world with what he learned.

John Little has done a tremendous amount of research, trying to find and separate the truth from the numerous, numerous stories that seem to hover around Bruce and his work. This could not have been easy. Everyone seems to have a story about a situation. And all of them while sometimes making Bruce look great, contradict each other in so many ways. There was a incident in Las Vegas, was it with Vic Damone and his bodyguards, no it was Sammy Davis, Jr.'s bodyguard and it was an accident, no it was Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and it was real. Little does a fantastic job of trying to get to the bottom, proving this was probably wrong, this account was told 20 years later, in what happened. However this book is more than a tale of the tape for Bruce Lee. Yes there is a lot of fighting, but there is a lot of growth, from an angry young man, to a man who could see things that others couldn't both in fights, and in thinking. A man who trained his mind as hard as he trained his body. A fascinating book about a man whose real story and ideas will probably never really be told, as the legend is printed far more than the truth.

Recommended for fans of Bruce Lee, the martial arts and its history and for training tips. This is really a very interesting book about a man who just kept striving to be the best he could be at whatever he set his mind to. So also readers of self-improvment books might also enjoy this. And finally fiction writers might find this interesting as it gives ideas on how to train for not just combat but just train in general. Writers could use this as motivation for characters. This is the first that I have read from John Little. I can't wait to read more.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many Bruce Lee biographies out there, from general bios (such as Matthew Polly's Bruce Lee: A Life) to those that are much more narrowly focused (e.g. Rick Wing's Showdown in Oakland about Lee's fight with Wong Jack Man.) This book is somewhere in between in that it is theme-focused (Lee's fights and matches,) but it does offer insights from Lee's childhood through to his death as they pertain to these fights and sparring experiences. The book explores all of the known real-world scraps and matches, as well as some of the more telling sparring sessions. Fights range from Lee's adolescent skirmishes as a punk kid through the challenge matches with extras on the set of Enter the Dragon as an astute (if still quick-tempered) master. When I say that the book includes sparring sessions, I'm not talking about every time Lee sparred, but rather those exchanges that offered particular insight into Lee's prowess, such as his last ever sparring session with his old Wing Chun teacher, Wong Shun-Leung (a senior student of Ip Man's) as well as those with athletes at the top of their respective combative sports.

The point of the book is to challenge a belief -- widespread at times -- that Lee was a blow-hard offering banal quasi-mystical Eastern philosophy and martial insights that were based only on a few Wing Chun lessons from Ip Man. In contrast, the book paints a picture of a broadly experienced fighter who was obsessive about his betterment as a martial artist. Lee was an innovator and trained with great endurance and intensity. The book portrays Lee as a martial artist of such speed and athleticism that even World Champion competitors were left in awe.

While reading, one does have to question how objectively the information is being presented. After all, Little is definitely a bit of a fanboy and he's clearly taking a stance on Lee's prowess. Furthermore, the fact that (at one point, I'm not sure about presently) Little was the only one with full access to Lee's archived notes suggests his message was sufficiently on point for Lee's family to feel comfortable with him. That said, I felt there was enough admission of Lee's weaknesses and mistakes as well as a willingness to present competing statements when details were in question that I believe this is an honest attempt to get the details right (within the unavoidable constraints of memories of events being decades in the past and being seen from multiple perspectives -- psychologically as well as geographically.)

I found this book to be fascinating from cover to cover, and well worth reading. In addition to the stories of the fights, the author discusses the lessons that Lee learned along the way. Even in winning, Lee was sometimes dissatisfied with his own performance, and this drove him to adapt and to develop new training methods. I'd highly recommend this book for those interested in the martial arts or who love a good biography.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durante años he admirado a Bruce Lee. Con el pasar del tiempo, mi fanatismo se convirtió en una apreciación más concienzuda del hombre detrás de las leyendas que pintaban las revistas sencillas sobre artes marciales que leía cuando era niño. Mi comprensión sobre Lee mejoró luego de adentrarme en la vasta colección literaria que grandes autores como Marcos Ocaña y John Little han construido, mediante una cuidadosa investigación y gran meticulosidad al momento de escribir libros como éste.

Wrath of the Dragon responde la ya consabida duda que se ha estado engordando durante muchos años sobre la capacidad de Bruce Lee en el campo de la lucha. Después de su muerte, muchas personas (la mayoría detractores y quienes buscaban lucrar con la controversia) criticaron a Lee debido a que nunca participó en torneos oficiales mientras estuvo con vida. Esta creencia se mantiene hasta ahora, más con la fama de las MMAA debido al glamour que rodea a sus luchadores. Aunque muchos de ellos declaran su admiración por Bruce Lee, algunos forman parte del grupo que opina que Lee no sabía pelear cuando estaba alejado de las cámaras.

John Little nos ofrece toda su experiencia como investigador al presentarnos un registro bien documentado sobre las peleas en las que Bruce Lee participó activamente, desde sus días como un chico muy espabilado y revoltoso hasta los años en los que su fama le empezó a pasar factura. Si bien es cierto que cualquiera puede dudar sobre la veracidad del contenido de este libro, es innegable la calidad y esfuerzo que el autor ha puesto en sustentar con lujo de detalles algo muy real en ese periodo de tiempo: Bruce Lee era el mejor exponente de las artes marciales y un luchador muy consumado que buscaba mantenerse por encima de cualquier límite que se le presentase. Su dedicación y agudeza, algo que se veía en sus películas y en algunas grabaciones que el tiempo no ha conseguido erosionar, son una evidencia bastante rotunda de que Lee sí entrenaba y se preparaba a diario para triunfar sobre cualquier adversario que podría presentarse frente a él.

No importa cual sea la perspectiva del lector al respecto, este libro es una joya que por ningún motivo debe dejarse pasar. Y si, como yo, has admirado a Bruce Lee desde muy temprana edad, considera este libro como una pieza muy importante de tu colección. Yo lo recomiendo, sin lugar a dudas.

[Szandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the ARC opportunity to netgalley, the author and the publisher. As always, this is a voluntary and honest review.

My dad is a massive Bruce Lee fan and so I grew up watching his films, later on reading several biographies. It was great to read yet another perspective, to gather small bits and pieces I might not have known before. I definitely think this is a must for any and all Bruce Lee fans.

[Ben Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obviously incredibly biased here, but I genuinely thought this was a really, really great read. So many interesting and true stories about one of the most impressive celebrities of all time. The first book I ever “crushed” very quickly and that’s not because my dad wrote it, but because it was genuinely interesting

#NepotismReads

[Chuck Kechter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a good read - IF - you've never read anything about Bruce Lee's background. I have. Extensively. except for some embellishment of a couple of the stories presented here, I didn't learn anything new, or of value.

IMO, author John Little has ridden this particular "horse" long enough. YMMV.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

I know of Bruce Lee in a general sense. I don't believe I have seen any of his movies. So it was interesting to read about him as a person, which is a lot of martial arts focus because that was his focus. It was well written.

Rating 4/5

[Michael Mulvihill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly brilliant

I am studying every thing written in this book. This deserves to be a best seller. If you are a martial artist, if you love karate and Kung Fu, if you just love Bruce Lee than you must buy and read this book. Every page is just perfect

[Kevin Thang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the most famous martial artist at the time, everyone wanted to test him. The stories told in this recapping some of his real fights in martial arts dojos, on the street, & on set, almost paint bruce lee in this mythical figure light, which is to speak to how revered the man is to this day.

[Quanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee was a child actor that grew into a fighting legend. The real Bruce Lee was not the calm (and fighting) man-servant of the Green Hornet, he was a complex and often troubled individual. He was both admired and hated. This is a must for any fan.

[Umar Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was both a fun and informative read.

[Blaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author defends Bruce Lee in some very weird, simpy ways. That said, he does bring in some accounts of actual Bruce Lee fights.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling this book exhaustively researched is an understatement; I swear the thing is 40% footnotes. It's also well written, lending some narrative flow to what otherwise could have been just a fat stack of statistics.