Bruce Lee: A Life

by Matthew Polly

The first authoritative biography—featuring dozens of rarely seen photographs—of film legend Bruce Lee, who made martial arts a global phenomenon, bridged the divide between Eastern and Western cultures, and smashed long-held stereotypes of Asians and Asian-Americans.

Forty-five years after Bruce Lee’s sudden death at age thirty-two, journalist and bestselling author Matthew Polly has written the definitive account of Lee’s life. It’s also one of the only accounts; incredibly, there has never been an authoritative biography of Lee. Following a decade of research that included conducting more than one hundred interviews with Lee’s family, friends, business associates, and even the actress in whose bed Lee died, Polly has constructed a complex, humane portrait of the icon.

Polly explores Lee’s early years as a child star in Hong Kong cinema; his actor father’s struggles with opium addiction and how that turned Bruce into a troublemaking teenager who was kicked out of high school and eventually sent to America to shape up; his beginnings as a martial arts teacher, eventually becoming personal instructor to movie stars like James Coburn and Steve McQueen; his struggles as an Asian-American actor in Hollywood and frustration seeing role after role he auditioned for go to a white actors in eye makeup; his eventual triumph as a leading man; his challenges juggling a sky-rocketing career with his duties as a father and husband; and his shocking end that to this day is still shrouded in mystery.

Polly breaks down the myths surrounding Bruce Lee and argues that, contrary to popular belief, he was an ambitious actor who was obsessed with the martial arts—not a kung-fu guru who just so happened to make a couple of movies. This is an honest, revealing look at an impressive yet imperfect man whose personal story was even more entertaining and inspiring than any fictional role he played onscreen.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Martial Arts, Biography Memoir, History, Audiobook, Film

656 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Matthew Polly is an award-winning travel writer for Slate. His first book, American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch; An Odyssey in the New China, was published in February of 2007. A Princeton University graduate and Rhodes Scholar, his work has appeared in Esquire, Playboy, and The Nation. He grew up in Kansas and lives in New York City

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the craze about kung fu movies when I was a young teen and then hearing about Bruce Lee’s passing and I didn’t understand a lot about it. The remedy for that was reading this book about Bruce Lee’s life. It was so engrossing for me that I read it quite quickly, although it was fairly long. I found it really well researched and thorough. Author Matthew Polly spent 6 years on it interviewing everyone around Lee who would talk, as he felt a definitive biography was long overdue. It tells about the whole man, the actor, the martial artist, the husband and father, the businessman, the stressed guy who worried about ‘losing face’.

There were so many facets to Bruce Lee, and this book was good at sharing many of those, which helped in a way to try to understand what he might have been like when he was alive. It creates an interest in wanting to see his movies after reading about him making them, especially his last one “Enter the Dragon”, that he was so consumed in the making of. He was very driven during that time, for sure, from the telling of it. The previous three movies he’d made were for Golden Harvest studio in Hong Kong, was “The Big Boss”, “Fists of Fury”, and “The Way of the Dragon”. I’d recommend this book for any fans of martial arts, Bruce Lee fans, biography fans, etc. An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, author Matthew Polly, and the publisher for my unbiased review.

Publication: June 5, 2018
Simon & Schuster

My Bookzone blog at Wordpress: https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Bkwmlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I was born in Hong Kong and even though I’ve lived in the U.S. for most of my life, that has not stopped me from having a strong connection to the place of my birth. My fondness for HK runs deep and even though it is a very different place now from what it was when I first grew to know the city back in the 1980s, my affinity for it has not waned. Because of this background, I’ve always been sensitive about how HK is portrayed, especially by the Western world and those who may or may not be familiar with the city’s language, culture, history, etc. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that HK always has to be portrayed in a good light because we all know that bad things do happen there as they do everywhere in the world and bringing that stuff to light is absolutely necessary…rather, my concern has always been that the portrayal is accurate and fair, which, for those who do not already have familiarity with HK and/or Chinese culture, may mean doing the research necessary to ensure integrity of the portrayal is preserved. For me, authenticity is important when it comes to non-fiction portrayals of real-life events and absolutely, when it comes to biographies of real-life people, especially those who are no longer around to either validate or refute what is being written about their lives.

I must admit when I first found out that American martial arts and travel writer Matthew Polly was releasing an authoritative biography on Hong Kong martial arts legend Bruce Lee, the question of authenticity did come into my mind initially. Knowing virtually nothing about Polly prior to starting this book, I wondered how this biography would play out. Would this book be in the same vein as some of the other English language books out there that have attempted to cover certain aspects of Bruce’s life but never really managed to be comprehensive? Or would this one focus heavily on the martial arts aspect, on Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do and Chinese kung fu, with the actual details of Bruce’s life merely a side story? At minimum, I thought for sure this biography would focus more heavily on the Western portrayal of Bruce’s life, his studies in the United States, his stint in Hollywood, his many celebrity friends as well as students, his relationship with his wife Linda, etc. – basically a lot of what had already been said in the innumerable library of source material on Bruce Lee (whether books, magazines, newspapers, movies, TV shows, etc.).

Given the above, it should come as no surprise then, that I had mixed feelings at first going into this read. On the one hand, I was excited, since, after all, this is a biography about one of Hong Kong’s penultimate cultural icons. My connection with the city aside, it is not lost on me that there has always been (and continues to be) very little Asian (more specifically Chinese) representation in the American literary world and representation from Hong Kong is minimal at best -- so when I saw that someone actually took the time to write an extensive biography about one of my birth city’s greatest self-made superstars, I jumped at the opportunity to read this massive book (and yes, at 656 pages, this book is indeed MASSIVE), despite the fact that, like most Hong Kongers, I already knew pretty much everything there was to know about Bruce Lee’s short but vibrant life. On the other hand, I was skeptical, as Bruce Lee was one of those rare celebrities who became a bona fide international icon almost entirely posthumously and I frankly did not know what to expect.

Now after finishing this book (and yes I’m proud to say I read every single page, cover to cover, including the 200+ pages of notes and references as well as extensive bibliography), I have to say that my initial reservations were unwarranted, as this biography exceeded my expectations and then some! I am pleasantly surprised, delighted, and absolutely in awe at the amount of research that went into this book! What made this particular biography about Bruce Lee stand out from all the previous works that had been written about him was the tremendous depth of coverage – not just the fact that the narrative covered nearly every aspect of Bruce’s life from birth to death in great detail, but also the extensive detail about Hong Kong itself – the historical background, insight into the culture, coverage of the HK entertainment industry and who all the major players were back then, the background on Bruce’s family, the various personal as well as celebrity friends and acquaintances he had over there, etc. (I was surprised to see so many familiar names and places in the book – stuff I rarely ever see in books about HK written in English). As the author Matthew Polly states in his Afterword, over the past four and a half decades, it seems like every single person who ever knew Bruce Lee at some point has written a book about him — while this is true, my opinion is that many of these works have in common is that most were written from the perspective of the writer’s own memories and what they remembered about their interactions with him, but very few (if any) featured the extensive amount of research and fact-checking that went into this biography. In his author’s note, Polly talks about his methodology and the prep work that went into writing this book: “I watched everything Bruce had ever done and took copious notes. I read everything that had ever been written about Bruce and took copious notes. And then I interviewed everyone who had ever known Bruce and was willing to talk and took copious notes. Then I compiled these notes into a single Word document in chronological order. The final file was over 2,500 pages and a million words long.” And also this: “The process took over six years. I spent six months in Hong Kong and another two in Los Angeles and Seattle. Along the way, I interviewed over a hundred people and met with many others who were helpful in countless ways.”

For me, what mattered the most with this book wasn’t necessarily the content itself, but rather, the effort that was put in and the exhaustive lengths the author went through to ensure that his final product does justice to its subject. Of all the books I’ve read in my lifetime (so far), this was the first time where, upon finishing the ARC version of this book, I immediately went and purchased the final published version because I knew that I absolutely had to “collect” this book for my personal library. If I didn’t already have a long list of books that I still needed to get to, there’s no doubt that I would’ve launched into an immediate re-reading of this book, though this time with the notes side-by-side for comparison. What I loved most about this book is that -- unlike many of the other books / magazines / articles out that have been written over the years that portray a largely romanticized, idealized, and at times even bordering on caricature version of Bruce Lee, this author chose to go the opposite direction and present Bruce as he was in real life: as an ordinary guy with an extraordinary personality and a charming, larger-than-life persona, but also more character flaws than can be counted on two hands. In striving to present the human side of Bruce, Polly laid out everything as is, both the good and the bad, but more importantly, he explained with the most thoroughness that I’ve seen thus far, the significance of Bruce Lee’s legacy and why it still matters today. This is one of those books that deserves not just to be read -- complete from the Prologue to the Epilogue and everything in between, including the Afterword, the notes, and the bibliography -- but also explored, savored, and cherished (for me personally, the Epilogue and Afterword were my favorite parts of the book).

I’ve always found it difficult to summarize someone’s entire life in a few short paragraphs so I’m not going to even try it with this review. Instead, I encourage those reading this review to experience the book for yourself, whether you are a fan of Bruce Lee and/or martial arts or not. The historical and cultural aspects of Hong Kong are well-depicted in here and for that alone, especially for those who may not be familiar with Hong Kong, this is an insightful read. For those curious about Hollywood in the 1960s and 70s, the film-making process, what it was like for celebrities during that time, the lifestyle, the environment, this book gives an interesting glimpse into that era. If you are into martial arts and wanted to explore that angle of Bruce’s life, this book does a great job breaking down the basics as it relates to Bruce’s philosophy and how Jeet Kune Do came to be (and it’s done in a way that folks with little to no knowledge / interest in martial arts like me can easily understand). And finally, if you are a Bruce Lee fan, you should definitely read this book, as it is a sincere and fascinating exploration of the short yet dynamic life of one of the most recognizable names on the planet.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death. Even though this book was published last month (in June) and I’ve had the ARC sitting in my queue for a few months already, I actually didn’t crack this book open until this week – in fact, I started reading this on July 20th (I’m sure it is not lost on Bruce Lee fans the significance of this date) and despite its length (600+ pages!), I plowed through it in 4 days (definitely a record for me). Beyond Bruce Lee’s legacy and what he is known for in the international arena – his martial arts, his film career, his mysterious and sudden death, his scandals and high-profile relationships, his vitality and his larger-than-life persona – the biggest significance for me as a Chinese-American who, like Bruce, had one foot firmly planted in the East and the other equally in the West, is the fact that he broke through cultural barriers, transformed long-held, misguided perceptions about Asians in the Western world, and through his example, empowered us to believe in ourselves, in our self-worth, and the possibility to achieve what was previously unachievable; he opened the doors for us and gave us a voice. The part that resonates with me the most and, for me, will always be the true legacy that Bruce Lee left us is summed up in this passage from the Epilogue where Polly writes: “But perhaps most important in this age of polarization and ethnic strife is the example he [Bruce] set and espoused. As a Eurasian, he faced discrimination from both sides of the East/West divide. He never let it stop him. Instead, he preached a message of post-racial unity. [When asked whether he felt he was more Chinese or more American, Bruce would often answer] ‘I think of myself as a human being, because under the sky, there is but one family. It just so happens that people are different.’ And he practiced it. He accepted anyone who wanted to learn from him. His first student in America was Jesse Glover [a black man whom everyone he approached refused to teach purely because of the color of his skin]. ‘If he felt you were sincere, Bruce taught you, ‘ [his student] Taky Kimura recalls. ‘He didn’t care what race you were.’” In the decades since Bruce Lee’s death, our world has greatly evolved and many things have changed, both for better and for worse – in the area of race relations, while there has been significant progress, we are still far from the ideal of “post-racial unity” that Bruce preached. I cannot say for sure whether we will ever get there, but one thing’s for sure -- the road, while definitely still bumpy and difficult, is a lot smoother now for Asian-Americans than it was back during that time and without a doubt, Bruce Lee was instrumental in making that happen. For that, I am grateful!

Received ARC from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley.

[Ashok Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely a must read for Bruce Lee fans, but I would like add that this biography could be for anyone who is looking for inspiration. He was struggling all the time and very few people believed that he could achieve the impossible - make a name in Hollywood. After working for twenty-five years as an actor he had learnt how to blend action with emotion and he gave his first hit 'The Big Boss' in Hong Kong. He was always optimist and never gave up, and he did achieve all his goals. He died young and was not there to see that with 'Enter the Dragon' he had indeed become one of the most popular actor in Hollywood. I was shocked to know that Bruce was a bibliophile and before he made living as a kung-fu instructor, he owned a used bookstore. Well, that's precisely why I love biographies.

My favorite quotes from the book:
1.He practiced diligently day and night. If Bruce was passionate about a subject, he was an extraordinarily fast learner.
2.I'm not good at studying. But I'm good at fighting. I will fight to make a name.
3.The contest taught him that success does not come naturally. One had to train and fight.
4.Bruce swore that he would redouble his training until he could achieve the power he wanted.
5.His report card from St. Francis Xavier ranked him forty-one out of forty-two students, and noted his conduct was very poor.
6.Kung fu became his religion, his path to enlightenment.
7."I wanted to be rich and famous," Bruce would say, before adding "and the best kung fu man in the world!"
8.In every industry, in every profession, ideas are what America is looking for. Ideas have made America what she is, and one good idea will make a man what he wants to be...
9.He felt that since no one person was the same each individual needed different teaching.
10.Develop the tools, refine the tools, and then dissolve the tools.
11.If you don't question it, you don't grow.
12.He was a seeker and a bibliophile.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The joke in China is kung fu is a way to trick thirteen year-old boys into meditating. Bruce Lee had started his martial arts path as a punk . . . [but now] he would speak and think more and more like a Taoist monk. This internal dichotomy and conflict between his punkish personality and monkish insights would define his adult life." - Matthew Polly, chapter 4 / page 76

Bruce Lee: A Life was easily the most engrossing biography that I've read since either Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig or Jim Henson: A Biography by Brian Jay Jones . . . and in a funny coincidence, both of those authors are quoted on the rear dust jacket with plaudits for Matthew Polly's book.

Polly appears to have done some painstaking and exhaustive research. After the obligatory (but still interesting and at times surprising) family-tree history we dive right into Lee's childhood as a hyperactive tot - he was nicknamed 'Never Sits Still' - and problematic student. For the next 500 pages Polly deftly covers Lee's experiences - a brief tween / teen movie career in Hong Kong, maturing at college in Seattle, opening martial arts studios and eventually instructing some of Hollywood's biggest names, employment (if not quite "success") on American TV, and finally coming full circle as an adult-age action movie star in Hong Kong. His untimely death was at age 32.

It is lamentable that Lee, appearing to be on the cusp of worldwide film stardom, passed away somewhat mysteriously at a such a young age. However, Polly then also details the unusual coroner's inquest and puts forth his own theory on the cause of death. It was sort of fascinating.

Lastly (and I know I've done a lot of gushing), I really adored reading about Lee's courtship and marriage to his college sweetheart Linda Emery. Though Lee was unfortunately not the most loyal husband, one friend is quoted that "Nobody has ever given Linda the credit she deserves. This woman has been one hell of a pillar of strength . . . I don't think Bruce would have aspired to the heights that he did without her support." Lee himself said "We are two halves that make a whole."

For those with an interest in 20th-century personalities / history I highly recommend this book.

[CF Leung · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ‘Bruce Lee, A Life’ is a poor attempt by author Matthew Polly to write a “definitive” and accurate biography of Lee. It fails miserably on all counts.

Lee passed away more than four decades ago, as an icon in martial art and movie. Polly proclaimed there were not enough books devoted to Lee, and he wrote his to correct such injustice. In reality though, 200 or so books had already been published about Lee, half in English, half in Chinese, and about one-third as biographies. Granted, none of the existing biographies can be considered perfect, and it’s fair for Polly trying to write a better and more comprehensive one.

Polly further proclaimed there was nothing in print after 1994, but in fact there had been quite a few decent English biographies since, such as Bleecker (1996), Miller (2000), Campbell/Lee (2003, 2005, 2006), Bowman (2009, 2013), and Weintraub (2012). There were also a couple of books specifically about the Lee-Wong fight, by Wing (2012) and Russo (2016). Obviously, Polly did not consider any of these as relevant biography of Lee.

In addition, and this may be Polly’s Achilles heel due to his limited Chinese language skill, there are a number of good Chinese references containing valuable information not found in any of the English literatures including Polly’s. For example, there is a 2017 Chinese biography of Lee (published one year prior to Polly’s, by one of the top publishers in Hong Kong), which is factually more accurate and comprehensive (covers a much wider scope) than most existing biographies. Apparently, Polly’s research had left out many of these pertinent references.

Only 10% into Polly’s book, I’ve found 21 factual errors and 16 contextual inaccuracies. I gave up counting after that, as this level of defects persisted throughout the book (averaging about one error per page). The followings are a few examples of Polly’s most provocative but faulty claims.

First, and likely the most controversial, Polly theorized that Lee died of a heatstroke, whereas South China Morning Post (a Hong Kong English newspaper) has called such theory bizarre.

There are 3 problems: (1) Lee died indoors, not outdoors; (2) Betty Ting’s apartment (where Lee died) had air-conditioning, as there are photos to prove it; (3) Lee grew up in Hong Kong (HK) and should know how to handle such “unusual scorching” (Polly’s words) summer heat; (4) Lee’s armpit sweat gland removal (part of Polly’s theory) could not physiologically attribute to a heatstroke, as sweating was simply reallocated to other parts of Lee’s body.

Second, Polly incorrectly claimed Lee was partially Jewish, as related to Charles Bosman (1839-1892, a Dutch Jew, later naturalized as a British citizen in 1889). The family tree linking Bosman and Lee’s mother (Grace Ho) is indeed very complicated, and it appears that Polly’s research did not include the pertinent literatures from HK or those by the Bosman/Ho-tung/Ho family members. Since 2010, there has been a consensus among these references regarding the relationship between Bosman and Lee.

While living in HK (for about 14 years), Bosman and his Chinese common law wife, surnamed Sze, had several children, before he left HK in 1873 (and never returned). These Sze-Bosman children adopted the surnames of Ho-tung, Ho, or Bosman, and the famous Sir Robert Ho-tung (the “Rockefeller of HK”) was one of them.

During the final years of Bosman’s stay in HK, Sze had a concurrent marital relationship with a fellow Chinese, surnamed Kwok (also as Gao), and they produced another batch of children. These Sze-Kwok children adopted Ho or Kwok as their surname, among them Ho Kom-Tong, father of Grace Ho. As such, Grace’s father and Robert Ho-tung were only half-brothers, and Bosman’s bloodline never crossed over to the Sze-Kwok side of the family.

Furthermore, Grace herself was adopted, and her birthmother (very likely one of the 20 or so mistresses of Ho Kom-Tong) was known to be of German, English, or German/English mixed blood, as stated by various members of the Ho/Ho-tung family, as well as claimed by Grace herself in some legal documents. Bruce Lee’s European DNA came solely from his mother, and neither she nor Bruce inherited any Jewish DNA from Bosman. By the way, orthodox Judaism only considers mothers as the legitimate carriers of Jewishness.

Third example - Polly accused Wong Jack Man a cheater during a 1964 pre-arranged fight with Lee. Polly accused Wong wore a pair of metal-spiked wristbands as a concealed weapon. For anyone grew up in HK (me for example) knows Polly got to be joking here. Those wristbands are mostly for show, in public performance, or as a mild form of wrist support (as in weightlifting or gymnastics). No sane person would consider such wristband as weapon, let alone secret weapon! Indeed, no eyewitness of the fight (including Linda, Lee’s widow, or Lee himself) saw or mentioned it afterwards.

“Enter the Door Stopper” is a quip by the Dublin-based Irish Times for Polly’s book, referring to its size (656 pages, including 140 pages of appendix materials). To me, such impressive size is a direct result of Polly’s fairly liberal way in selecting materials, and his (and Simon & Schuster’s) surprisingly loose standards in fact-checking, evident in the level of inaccuracy.

Furthermore, the book contains way too many sidetrack stories with questionable relevancy, and most narratives were artificially stretched to fill pages. It also includes an exorbitant amount of verbatim dialogues (almost one per page) quoted from Polly’s own interviews, or from other referenced sources. Typically, Polly provided no substantiation as to the truthfulness of the spoken words, making them no better than just documented hearsay or gossips. With so much dialogues, the book at times reads more like a novel than a biography.

As an overseas Chinese (since 1970s) and a former Hongkonger, besides the inaccuracies and misinformation, I found Polly’s book annoyingly condescending when it comes to discussion about Chinese culture, martial arts, things about HK, or the overseas Chinese experience related to Lee. Polly’s knowledge of such matters appears to be very limited, superficial at time, and mostly he just rehashed many of the popular misconceptions.

One example is when Polly talked about Lee’s father being an opium addict. In a clumsy attempt to explain away why opium was used (purportedly to enhance one’s singing voice), Polly said this (Page 39 of his book): “Opium was to Chinese Opera singers what heroin was to American jazz musicians.”

Polly’s intention here might have been innocent, but even ignoring the racial undertone, this is still a remark of stereotype. For the unsuspecting readers, Polly’s remark can easily lead to the thought of famous American musicians (Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc.) whose lives were cut short by drug abuse. And unfortunately, two prominent figures in Lee’s life also happened to be notorious opium users (his father, and his martial art teacher Yip Man, both died of old age, not drug abuse).

Polly’s research into this area is amateurish, as he misunderstood Chinese opera and jazz are comparable (though both are music genres), and assuming drug use was common in both cases. They were not. There might have been a few bad apples, maybe more so on the American side, but no reference material would support Polly’s claim about Chinese opera singers (Cantonese opera in Lee’s father case).

Indeed, Polly’s remark is an insult to the overwhelming majority of Cantonese opera performers, now and then, and likely the same to the overwhelming majority of American jazz musicians. Deplorably, this type of subtly pretentious commentaries populated through Polly’s book.

In conclusion, ‘Bruce Lee, A Life’ is grossly inaccurate and misleading, and I would not recommend it to readers who know very little about Lee.

[Адриана К. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Едва ли има човек, който да не е чувал за Брус Ли.
Винаги съм го намирала за много интересна личност и признавам си, имах малко идеализирана представа за него. Книгата на Матю Поли проследява целия му живот в детайли, за написването ѝ авторът провежда над 1000 интервюта, събира и изследва факти, показва както силните качества, така и неговите слабости и негативни черти, точно като всеки човек и Брус Ли носи своите Ин и Ян в себе си.

Брус е обичащ живота екстроверт с доста буен нрав, проблемни ученически години, силно амбициозен, интелигентен, притежаващ изключителни физически възможности. Започва с бавното и медитативно изкуство тайчи още като дете, заедно с баща си, чиято идея е да заздрави тялото му и чрез тренировките да овладее хиперактивните му наклонности. По-късно се занимава и с уинчун – легендата за него много ме впечатли, защото се смята, че е един от много малкото стилове бойно изкуство, създадено от жена. Когато започва да се занимава с кунгфу, Брус е силно повлиян от него: този стил се превръща в негова религия и път към просветлението, а заедно с него, започва да се интересува живо от даоизъм и древна китайска философия.

Брус Ли създава и развива собствен метод, който нарича джиткундо, чийто превод означава „спиране на пътя на юмрука“ или „пътят на възпиращия юмрук“ – терминът произлиза от фехтовалната техника „спиращ удар“, а в своите записки самият Брус описва джиткундо като „фехтовка без меч“. Това е и неговото лично изразно средство в бойните изкуства.

Брус Ли е и страстен библиофил с интерес към философията - в даден момент от живота си мечтае да притежава собствена книжарница за употребявани книги, а личната му библиотека надхвърля 2500 тома. Той носи книга навсякъде със себе си и чете във всеки удобен момент. В бележниците си преписва цитати от любимите си автори, записва цели, мисли, идеи.
Пътят му в киното и филмовата индустрия е труден и бавен, но с много усилия и амбиция, успява да постигне целите си. Силно се стреми към славата, иска да е най-добрият, иска да е известен, да кара скъпи коли, да е харесван, да изглежда добре и да получава внимание. Има и своите пороци… В едно от последните си интервюта завява: „Въпреки че аз, Брус Ли, може някой ден да умра, без да осъществя всичките си амбиции, не изпитвам с��ръб. Правя това, което искам. Всичко, което съм правил, е било искрено и съм давал най доброто от себе си. Не можете да очаквате много повече от живота.“

Особено интересна за мен беше последната част от книгата и детайлите около смъртта му, която идва някак неочаквано и шокира мнозина. Брус Ли се превръща в идол и вдъхновение за огромен брой хора не само в Китай, но и в целия свят. Любопитно ми беше да разбера, че има два негови паметника в света – единият в Хонконг се оказва вторият издигнат в негова памет, а първият е в град Мостар в Босна и Херцеговина като "символ на солидарност, справедливост и расова хармония".

Смятам, че книгата доста би се харесала на феновете на биографии. : )

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Executive Summary: I found the book dragged a bit in places, but overall was a pretty good. I learned a ton about Bruce Lee that I never knew.

Audiobook: Jonathan Todd Ross does a solid job. For nonfiction I always want a forgettable narrator. What I mean by that is I don't want them to stand out because the book should do the talking. I don't want voices or dramatic flair. I also don't want to be lulled to sleep. Mr. Ross accomplished this

Full Review
I don't remember how old I was when I first saw a Bruce Lee movie. I suspect it was Enter the Dragon, and I was probably a teenager. I grew up loving Asian media, especially anime and martial arts movies. This book gave me the itch to rewatch Enter the Dragon for who knows how many times, and even though it's been probably over 10 years I still know a bunch of the lines.

I would often dream of learning martial arts one day, but never followed through (largely because my parents could never afford it when I was a kid and by the time I had the money myself my desire to learn had mostly dwindled).

I still love Martial Arts movies, but I don't watch them like I used to. It's largely in part to Bruce Lee. Moreso than I realized before reading this book. By the time I was growing up those films were pretty prevalent, good, bad and everywhere in between.

I never realized what a pioneer Bruce was. I also didn't realize what a shitty husband he was. They say never meet your heroes, and for good reason. While I never met him, this book showed me that Bruce Lee wasn't quite the idol material he's often made out to be. He made some good movies, and was a great martial artist. But he like all of us were flawed.

He overcame a misspent youth to go on to inspire millions and died tragically young. I've probably watched his son Brandon's movie the Crow 10x more than I've watched Enter the Dragon, and it's a shame that tragedy has seemed to follow this family.

Overall if like me you loved Bruce Lee growing up, you may find this a pretty interesting read. I especially liked some of the family history as well as the inside details on how Bruce finally managed to break through American cinema and launch the Martial Arts invasion in the US.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

Сравнително рядко посягам към нехудожествена литература. Някак си винаги ми е било по-интересно да стигам до зрънцата мъдрост и ценните послания посредством забавление, чрез измислени истории, най-често с фантастичен елемент. Но има животи, които са тъй ярки и вдъхновяващи, че звучат като драматичен сценарий. Има личности, които не просто оставят следа, а наистина се превръщат в икони, не само за своето съвремие, но и за следващите поколения. И една от тези редки и изключителни личности е Брус Ли. Боец и философ, ученик и учител, актьор и поет, мъж и баща, Брус Ли е бил обект на множество книги и документални филми, и на вероятно десетки пъти повече клюки и спекулации… Неговата пълна биография, дело на Матю Поли, е вече и на български, в превод от Александър Мирчев и с логото на изд. „Кръг“. „Животът на Брус Ли. Дракона, който надмогна себе си“ съдържа над 500 страници, в които авторът представя впечатляващите си познания и проучвания по темата, разказвайки вълнуващ наратив, който обаче не бяга от фактите и не се стреми да придава ореол на своя главен герой. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле“: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten years and dozens of interviews resulted in a 600 page comprehensive, readable biography of a man who died when he was only 32, but who became a cultural icon, a global superstar, and has joined the list of "highest earning dead celebrities".

The tone is not salacious or sensational, but sticks to the facts and lets us hear from differing points of view. Bruce Lee was a complicated figure: fierce, kind, determined, stubborn, charismatic, and obsessive.

The controversy surrounding his death in Hong Kong is dealt with most convincingly here, attributed to heat stroke. Having lived through a "heat dome" in late June a few years ago that killed 600 people in a Canadian city, the symptoms now seem obvious. According to Polly, heat stroke is still the leading cause of death among young athletes in summer.

All in all; a splendid biography, crammed with pictures. His life intersected with many others, such as Steve McQueen, and, tragically, Charles Manson. This story offers a fascinating slice of history; a young man born in the U.S.A., raised in Hong Kong, with a Dutch/Jewish ancestor — Bruce Lee had a foot in both "east" and "west", didn't entirely belong in either but believed we were all one people under the sun.

Bruce Lee would turn 85 this year, and you know, if things had turned out differently, he could still be alive today. What might he have achieved in the last 53 years?

[Anton Koval · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, new things I learned about Bruce here:

- was a ruthless bully in school who picked up on anyone including other bullies, innocent kids and white kids in particular.
- got circumcised because "everybody in US has it".
- removed left testicle due to a cancer risk.
- was a pot smoker who later switched to eating hash.
- repeatedly cheated on his wife. Among confirmed lovers were: Thordis Brandt, Sharon Farrell, Betty Ting Pei and some chinese girls on "Enter the Dragon" set.
- occasionaly carried a knife on his belt for self protection.
- surgically removed sweat glands from his armpits, because dank pits looked bad on-screen, which sadly accelerated a deadly heat stroke.

Overall a decent work topped with some new delicate details.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Lee was a hero to many people of all cultures. He made his moves in the movies look effortless. He wanted to be known as an actor, not just someone who did "Kung Fu. He died at an early age due to cerebral edema. No one was sure how this came about. There were pictures of his family among others that I had never seen. There was gossip and innuendo about his personal life.. His wife Linda had no idea if he was unfaithful although it was alluded to. I found this to be an interesting story of a man who taught and befriended many movies stars despite cultural differences. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Lee: A Life is wholly immersive and absorbing – rather than living it from a biographers perspective – I felt like I was living alongside Bruce. This is not a book confined solely to Bruce Lee fans, much can be garnered. The biography follows what events shape his identity and rise. A once volatile and delinquent kid, Bruce did a good job of channeling his passions and building on them as a foundation to his success. He was an iconoclast who despised authority. This perspective remained, which he used constructively to shape his work, with a multi-faceted approach combining martial arts, dance, spirituality, and philosophical tenants; never settling for one "style." His channeled passion, mixed with bravado, arrogance, and charisma was the centrepiece of his popular identity. Behind this there was also a sensitive side, and he struggled with fame. His legacy will remain fruitful; a culturally unifying figure who has shared admiration worldwide.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography is solidly executed and made more compelling by the luminescence of its subject.

Though I was never a particular fan, I know that Bruce Lee is a legend. He was always one of those people who burned bright and was hard to look away from. He changed the world in his own way and not just by popularizing Eastern martial arts in the West and becoming an entertainment icon. He was a bridge between cultures and his legacy is still with us.

This fills in a lot of blanks for anyone who’s casually curious. I enjoyed it.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In bad biographies, everything is inevitable; in good ones, nothing is. Though not the first biography of Bruce Lee, Matthew Polly’s Life doesn’t merely stand tall over the others. Like its subject, it rises ten feet in the air, flips, and delivers a whip-fast kick. Thoroughly researched and well-written, its kinetic, incident-fuelled approach is equal to the life of its subject.

From birth, Lee straddled the lines between East and West. Following Lee’s birth in San Francisco in 1940, his Mother needed an American name for her son’s birth certificate. ‘Bruce’ was suggested by a midwife; his surname was Anglicised from Li to Lee. His Father was less than impressed: ‘I can’t pronounce it.’ Lee’s Chinese name (Li Jun Fan) was somewhat less prosaic. It translated as ‘Shake Up and Excite San Francisco.’

It was one of the few commands the young Lee followed. His childhood nickname was ‘Never sits still.’ The Catholic instructors at his secondary school - the most prestigious of its type in Hong Kong - claimed he was like a live wire ‘charged with I don’t know how many kilowatts.’ Although a bright child, he was hyperactive and easily bored. His outlets were reading - he devoured comics by the dozen - and picking fights. Soon he was leading gangs of fellow youths against rivals by night. After pulling out a knife on a PE teacher, the boy was given a choice - go to jail or go to America.

America was the making of Bruce Lee. His father had wanted him to ‘eat bitter’ to build his character. By day he went to school and by evening he skivvied in a Chinese restaurant. Each night he retired to a cramped forty square foot bedroom, once a former walk-in closet, with one bare light bulb and a mottled fruit crate for a desk. For the first time he knuckled down to schoolwork. Although never top of the class, he maintained consistently good grades, and enjoyed his classes in History and Philosophy. In barely 18 months he received his high school diploma and found time to indulge his other great passion: dancing. South American dancers were an especial favourite of his. It was through dance that the former cha-cha champion of Hong Kong learned the value of other cultures and their ways of expression, incorporating their findings into his own style. Dance taught him to value simplicity and reject wasted motion. ‘Develop the tools, refine the tools, then dissolve the tools’ and ‘reject what is useless’ have been mistaken as purely martial arts maxims. Their origins lay in dancing.

University saw Lee lapse into bad habits. His anti-authority streak remained largely unchanged. Reserve Officers’ Training was mandatory for males on campus. When a furious sergeant got in Lee’s face and ordered him to swallow his chewing gum, Lee replied, ‘Son of a bitch, if you ever speak to me like that again, I will knock you on your ass!’ Fortunately for both parties, Lee was rejected for the draft as medically unfit (undescended testicle). A chance meeting with Theodore Roethke went better. After swiping an open office that belonged to the poet, Roethke was first mollified then mesmerised by Lee’s off-the-cuff lecture on kung fu.

Performing suited Lee’s talents better and helped draw in his first students. His two finger push-ups and one-inch punches were soon the talk of California. They also opened doors to TV casters. Before long he was cast as Kato in The Green Hornet. It was a sidekick role with minimal dialogue. Instead of being played for campy laughs, the show was played as straight drama with disastrous results. Not even a tie-in episode with Batman could prevent the show’s cancellation after one season.

At the time roles for Asian-Americans were pitifully few and seldom rose above yellow-peril stereotypes: schemers with Fu Manchu moustaches, prostitutes, or opium addicts. Lee lost roles for refusing to don a ponytail. When an offer came to parley his limited fame into opening a chain of McDojos, it promised guaranteed money and a business empire on a plate. Lee turned the promise down. His impatience with the impractical had led him to create his own martial art: Jeet Kune Do, or ‘Way of the Intercepting Fist.’ Based on Wing Chun kung fu, it was a style with no fixed movements that emphasised short, precise movements. A cookie-cutter style of instruction for the American suburbs would have falsified everything he stood for. For a struggling actor with a family and no regular income or talent for saving, it was a bold decision.

Soon Lee realised the way forward was catering to elites. In the days before the Internet, upmarket Hollywood hairdressers were the hub of industry news, gossip and rumours. Lee imitated their business model of charging a lot to the few for building prestige. It soon paid off: Steve McQueen, Robert Wagner, Roman Polanski and others signed up for his lessons. The abiding hope was that Hollywood contacts would inevitably lead to acting roles. McQueen, ever a dedicated status-watcher, was not slow to put his uppity trainer in his place. (‘I’m not in this business to make stars out of other people.’) Lee never forgot the slight; his rivalry with McQueen endured right up to his death.

Where Hollywood rejected him, Hong Kong courted him. Audiences were hungry for home-grown heroes, especially with a nationalist bent. Both The Big Boss and Fists of Fury played on these ambitions, pitting simple-seeming Everymen against exploiting Thais and wicked Japanese. One line in particular (‘China is no longer the sick man of Asia!’) drew eardrum-bursting cheers. Box office records were broken, then broken again. For the struggling, newly-founded studio of Golden Harvest, Lee had saved their jobs.

Whatever their shortcomings, Lee’s Hong Kong films had raised his stock in Hollywood. The big offer finally arrived: a James Bond-inspired vehicle with a working title of Blood and Steel. Much to Prolly’s credit, we are reminded how improbable the shoot was. Fearing about casting a largely unknown Chinese male in the lead, the budget was kept to a miserly $850,000 - more than 11 times less than the budget for The Exorcist. When no Chinese actresses were found willing to play prostitutes, producers resorted to hiring the real thing. After weeks of sexual misadventures, actor Jim Kelly found himself hospitalised with bloated testicles. A harness, meant to lower Kelly’s character into an acid pit for a death scene, had to be specially fitted with a cargo net. Lee’s perfectionism led to heated arguments with the director and constant threats to quit the shoot altogether. Even the final title, Enter the Dragon, was only changed as a last-minute concession. Lee lost over 20 pounds during the film and to friends he seemed exhausted.

Tragically Lee never lived to see the film’s international success. Polly has no patience with conspiracy theories and brings the clarity of science to the cause of Lee’s death. Months before, Lee had suffered a near-fatal cerebral edema caused by heat stroke. This was worsened by the decision to have his underarm sweat glands removed, preventing Lee from dispersing heat effectively. After again working in a severely overheated environment, Lee suffered another attack, this time unrecognised and untreated. For want of a shot of Mannitol, he might have been saved a second time.

Polly is a fair-minded chronicler with a wondrous gift for narrative and pace. His evocations of Hong Kong and post-war America are vivid and do much to place Lee in context. Unlike Davis Miller, he keeps himself firmly out of the story until the epilogue, which appears before a copious notes section. The book apparently took its author over 7 years to write. It was time well-spent. There will be other lives, but I doubt any will unseat this masterful volume.

[Ron S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched, definitive, readable biography about the actor and martial arts star, separating fact from legend and myth.

[Sean-Paul Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best biography I have ever read in my life. It really doesn't hold back and isn't completely one-sided like so many bios floating around these days. This is worts and all and the author has obviously taken a lot of time and painful research to get everything right and all sides and points of view across and accounted for. It was absolutely unputdownable. What a fascinating human being Bruce Lee was in such a short, short life span - 32 and only just getting started with his movie career, which let's be honest, would have blown everyone else out of the water if he'd been able to at least make half the movies that Jackie Chan and Jet Li made. Loved reading about where he came from. How hard he worked for every single day of his life. His determination to be the best at everything he turned his eye to, from cha cha dancing to kung fu to being a father and wanting to topple Steve McQueen from the biggest movie star in the world mantle. Yeah, he might have been a bit of a dick along the way, but with the daily racism and discrimination that came his way (from both east and west), it seems like he had to be like this in order to fight his way to the top and reach the heights he always knew he could make. So the man certainly deserves a lot of credit for opening doors in the west and in Hollywood for strong leading Asian actors and how they were portrayed. And then when you get to see all that hard work paying off on the screen. The guy's angelic grace at performing martial arts was just mesmerising and unhuman like. A real pleasure to watch and you cannot take your eyes off the screen when Bruce is fighting away. Even fifty years later, his movements are still breathtaking. So all that arrogance and ego that came with him goes out the window for me.
To learn about his real cause of death and the pandemonium it created around the world afterwards with the never-ending inquests and rumour mills was just fascinating to read too. And really is a case of the simplest explanation usually tends to be the right one. Loved hearing about his upbringing in Hong Kong with his parents and how they met (he was a poor actor/circus/opera performer, she was an upper-class mixed-race socialite whose family abandoned her when she fell for the exciting working class performer) Would love to read more about Chinese history now in that period, especially Hong Kong history, and the British/Japanese occupation that is briefly touched upon in the book. And now I am away to watch all those old Bruce Lee films from my childhood again with new insight and new eyes. Be like Water my friends :)

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I knew a lot about Bruce Lee but wow was I wrong. This biography of the martial arts great, film star and cult idol/icon is eye opening. Delving into all facets of Lee’s life, the good and the bad, this is just a fascinating portrait of a truly larger than life character and the times in which he lived. One of the best biographies I have ever read!

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In memory of the once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess.

I've always been fascinated by Bruce Lee. I can't recall my first viewing of Enter the Dragon but I do know it has profoundly affected my entire life.

And, yes, I was "that" guy with a Bruce Lee poster in my college dorm room:

I have his "Be water, my friend" quote taped up in my work cubicle. I have the "Don't look at the finger" quote as my inter-office communicator profile. I have a cloth poster tacked up at the door to my work cubicle. My son is named "Bruce". Yeah, Bruce Lee has had an impact on my life.

So, some readers might want to take my exuberance for Matthew Polly's Bruce Lee: A Life with some "fanboy" grains of salt.

This biography does an excellent job shedding light on his short but active life. Polly doesn't shy away from offering his own opinions on controversial matters, especially Bruce's mysterious death. The best bits, for me at least, are the philosophical discussions of Bruce's martial arts and particularly Jeet Kune Do (JKD).

His original inspiration for the seeds of JKD lay in his epiphany regarding water.

"Because water is the softest substance in the world but yet it can penetrate the hardest rock or anything, granite, you name it. Um, water also is insubstantial -- by that I mean you cannot grasp hold of it; you cannot punch it or hurt it. So every gung fu man is trying to do that: be soft like water and flexible and adapt itself to the opponent."

Unbeknownst to me, my love for Bruce's quotes about being water and not looking at the moon was actually my introduction to Taoism. Actually reading Tao Te Ching in 2017 profoundly altered my mind while providing the words for my own personal philosophy all along.

I was still impressed by how much philosophy Bruce wanted to include in his movies.

"What I want to show is the necessity to adapt one's self to changing circumstance. The inability to adapt bring destruction. As the film opens, the audience sees a wide expanse of snow. Then the camera closes in on a clump of trees while the sound of a strong gale fills the screen. There is a huge tree in the center of the screen, and it is all covered with thick snow. Suddenly there is a loud snap, and a huge branch of the tree falls to the ground. It cannot yield to the force of the snow so it breaks. Then the camera move to a willow tree, which is bending with the wind. Because it adapts itself to the environment, the willow survives. It is the sort of symbolism, which I think Chinese action films should seek to have. In this way I hope to broaden the scope of action films."

I've never personally practiced martial arts. I briefly took some casual Taekwondo lessons but felt it was not worth my injury prone knees. I also had other unvoiced concerns about martial arts, which I only later found proper words from Bruce Lee. It's a point I've debated with several friends. That is, the "point" of martial arts, how you should approach a fight. My opinion has evolved to greatly favor the self-defense aspect, as voiced by Bruce:

"If someone confronts you, first you stun him with a shot. Boom! Now, if he comes at you again, then you cripple him by breaking his kneecaps. If he still continues, then you go for the throat and kill him. So you stun, you cripple, and then you kill."

Because of this, I was unknowingly disillusioned with any formal training: "In traditional karate dojos, students would spar bare-fisted and stop their punches an inch before making contact. Bruce believed 'touch sparring' was unrealistic, calling it "swimming on dry land," and insisted on full contact." During my few sparring matches in Taekwondo, I was befuddled by all the rules and restrictions, similar to Bruce's frustrations: "While Bruce would have continued to fight in the streets and rooftops of Hong Kong, this was the first and last officially organized sports combat tournament he would ever participate in. He didn't like the way the rules constrained the effectiveness of his techniques. As he grew older and better as a martial artist, he studiously avoided boxing and point karate tournaments."

More than just JKD and martial arts, I found something interesting on nearly every page.

For instance, I had no idea Bruce enjoyed dancing so much:

As a teenager, Bruce's obsession with kung fu was rivaled only by his love of dancing.

Of all his youthful accomplishments - the boxing match, the challenge fights, the starring movie roles - he was most proud of being, as he bragged to all his friends for the rest of his life, "the Cha-Cha champion of Hong Kong."

I also had no idea inter-racial marriages were illegal in many states until 1967! That simple fact ties in perfectly with the biography's closing point about Bruce Lee's contribution to post-racial unity.

"We will always be Muslims, Serbs, or Croats," said Veslin Gatalo of the youth group Urban Movement Mostar. "But one thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee."

My only real disappointment was discovering the "Be water, my friend" quote is actually a line from an episode of the TV series Longstreet. This only slightly breaks the mystique that Bruce was "a Zen mystic and not an actor quoting a line written by an Oscar-winning screenwriter."

Bruce Lee: A Life will be considered the definitive biography of a cultural icon who is unlikely to ever be overtaken in his lasting impact in multiple arenas.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Question: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
My Answer: Bruce Lee

I was so excited to read this book about Bruce Lee. I grew up watching his movies. I still have a box set of his movies on VHS. I was so in love with him. Didn't matter that he died before I was born and knew nothing about him. From seeing pictures of him, I envisioned him as a quiet, introverted, family man. Boy, I was so wrong about everything. There's a saying "Never meet your heroes". Turns out, Bruce Lee was a self-centered a**hole in real life.

Matthew Polly did an amazing job with his extensive research. He conducted over a hundred interviews with Lee's family, friends, business associates and anyone else who had ever known Bruce and was willing to talk. He covered every aspect about Bruce's life and the impact of his death. This biography brings Bruce to life. It wasn't always pleasant reading knowing my hero was not who I thought he was. But I am grateful that I finally got a chance to know the real Bruce Lee.

I definitely recommend this book. Whether you are a fan of his or not, this was a powerful and inspiring biography.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of Matthew Polly's "Bruce Lee: A Life" in exchange of an honest review.

[Ti.Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive writing on the life and times of the iconic Bruce Lee. Stuffed full of outrageous and amazing anecdotes, it is never dry. To those who like Bruce Lee, you will love him after this book. As for myself: I am going to go re-watch "Enter the Dragon" and think about all the new things I know about the late, great 'little dragon'.

**Partial List of Topics**
-Hong Kong, war history
-China, political history
-Japan, war history
-Oriental martial arts, history
Bruce Lee:
--Heritage
--Childhood
--Fighting
--Dancing
--Kung/Gung Fu teachers
--Students
--Schools
--Wife & children
--Extra-marital activities
--Career in show business
--Finances
--Friends
--Cultural impact - Hong Kong
--Cultural impact - Western world
--Physical fitness movement, impact on
--Death, events surrounding
--Death, mystery of
--Children, careers of

[Marco G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining biography. It's very detailed and well written. Turns out that (spoiler) the 5 finger death punch is NOT what killed the Little Dragon LOL.

[Amanda Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will state how rare it is for me to give five stars to a book but then again I have never ended up getting emotionally involved with the subject matter like I have now. While not an official biography this is a really enthralling read with interesting stories and tidbits concerning Bruce Lee. I like the humanization of his character and mythos, I like that they show his flaws as well as his attributes. Now thanks to him I have developed an infatuation with Bruce Lee.

[Corinza Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't exactly pinpoint where my Bruce Lee fascination came from. One day I stumbled across books about him and the next thing I knew I wanted to watch every single movie he starred in.

Now coming from a person whose comfort movie is Enter The Dragon, I feel like a have a small grasp on the person he was. I've read some biographies in the past and they are torture to get through. This one had a slow start but definitely gained momentum. It's extremely detailed, explores different points of view, and doesn't paint Bruce Lee as a GOD. He made a lot of mistakes and certainly possessed an ego and sense of entitlement.

However, I was riveted at how hard this man fought to become the first Eurasian actor to strike it big across the world. I come away from this book with a new perspective on him and inspired to bring the same drive he had to my own life.

[Bryan Cebulski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the fact that my largest takeaway from this biography was probably "Wow, Bruce Lee was an incredible dick!", this is still a great book. Actually maybe even because of that. Comprehensive, easy to read, and engrossing. It's an indirect dissection of Asian racial politics in Hollywood, an insight into martial arts movements in the United States, a historical context that covers everything from the Boxer Rebellion to the Tate murders, an examination of a man who, as they say, bought his own bullshit while still being an extremely remarkable figure--this book is just steeped in all sorts of fascinating details about a daunting range of themes, all within the bounds of a linear, accessible pop biography.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could also be called “Everything you want to know about Bruce Lee.” Informative, and kept my interest. I enjoyed the audiobook format.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly entertaining biography of one of the most well known martial artist icons of all time.

Whenever I start writing down notes for a book, I know that it is good. With that said, I have just shy of two (2) solid pages of bulleted notes from Bruce Lee: A Life.

This book highlights the good of Bruce Lee, where in my mind he still remains that super-human athletic martial arts expert, charismatic person who takes over the room or captures the audience on screen, and a man who overcame the challenges and obstacles of Chinese racism in both the United States and in Asia.

**
If you're like me and Bruce Lee is before your time (he died in 1973) or you don't know much about his death, his family, etc... the content below may be considered "spoiler material" if you are looking to experience this information for the first time as you go through the book, as opposed through my review.

However, if you are semi-knowledgeable about Bruce Lee and his death, then you should be good to read on as this is history as opposed to fiction where I am unveiling "who the killer is."

Or honestly... if you know very little about Bruce Lee, what is written below barely scratches the surface of the depth of content in the book and I do not think it will ruin it for you.
**

With that being said, this book also unveils Bruce's darker side and I can honestly say that I am pretty disappointed in him. He allowed temptation to consume him, lived a secret life that speaking for myself as a father and a husband who deeply loves his family cannot imagine doing the things he did in secret behind their backs, and then also his weakness to falling into the downward spiral of drug abuse.

He died way too young at 32 years old (me being 33 at the time of writing this review, really puts it into perspective), and it turns out he wasn't so super-human and invincible after all. I really feel for his wife and his kids, who had to deal with the aftermath of his death, the trial trying to identify cause of death, all the lies, all the cover ups, all the secrets.

Then of course, the tragic accident of Brandon Lee just continues the sad story of Bruce Lee's ending. After a little open source research, it appears that at least his daughter Shannon Lee is doing well and healthy, which I am happy to read about at least one positive thing in his unfortunate end... caused with no one to blame but himself.

These few remarks above barely scratch the surface of the wild ride that is this biography of (his original Chinese name:) Lee Jun-fan.

I dropped -1 Star for about 15-20% of this book being "looping" content, in regard to talking about his movie roles, fights/conflicts he got into off screen with other crew members during movies he was filming, and all of his mistresses.

It's the same circle... he gets a role, he is a prima donna and wants more pay, fight scenes to go his way, special treatment, etc., then he sleeps with his female co-actresses or whatever female celebrity is readily available, and then after he rolls over in bed from his one-night stand... he then writes a love letter back home to his wife and kids. This goes on for many years... I mean, 3 days after his son was born he was on a plane to go audition for a movie role far away from his family and shortly after was already hooking up with a different woman while his wife and newborn were back at the home front. Linda was a good woman who raised his kids, was there for him during his spine injury, and endured a lot of racial judgement for a white woman marrying a Chinese man in a time where at the date of their marriage, marrying outside of your race was illegal in 17 states.

Anyway... yeah, the book loops this cycle a bit too much I thought, hence the -1 star, and could have been condensed a bit and the book shortened. After the 5th+ time... okay, we get it.

With all of that said, I highly recommend Bruce Lee: A Life and I appreciate its brutal honesty.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched and deeply thorough, Matthew Polly's biography of martial arts and film icon Bruce Lee is easily the most authoritative book on the late star. Including interviews with those who knew Lee best and a number of rare photographs not seen before, Polly's book covers his life from birth, to death, to his legacy, and everything in between.

Usually, this kind of depth comes only with authorized biographies - an exchange of access to personal material in exchange for approval of an author's content. That is not the case here; for while Polly has treated Bruce Lee with respect and does not shy away from the tremendous impact he had on both film and martial arts, this is no hagiography under the control of Lee's estate. Bruce Lee's fiery temper, his occasional philandering, his drug use, and his youth as a genuine delinquent are examined factually, with neither salaciousness nor dismissiveness.

The result is a three-dimensional portrait of one of the 20th century's most compelling figures; an imperfect man who nearly wasted himself before harnessing his bottomless drive and determination to turn his otherwordly physical skills into a force for change. At more than 400 pages with an additional 130-plus of notes, however, this is not a casual read for casual fans. For those who want to learn more about a man who was a pioneering martial artist, who almost single-handedly brought Asian action films to the West, and who made a lasting impact on martial arts instruction around the world, the reader won't do better than Bruce Lee: A Life.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I knew next to nothing about the man behind the legend that is Bruce Lee. This meticulously researched, detailed accounting of Lee's life grips you and doesn't let go. You learn that the dynamic magnetism, energy, and genius of Lee was responsible for both attracting and alienating those he met. Far from perfect, Lee had a string of affairs, burned bridges, and has an enormous ego. At the same time, even his enemies couldn't deny his incredible talent, martial arts skill, and how he shattered the proverbial glass ceiling. I enjoyed how this biography didn't gloss over Lee's imperfections, nor did it offer biting criticism. Rather, it tried to show who he was: an ambitious man straddling two worlds and seeking to bridge the divide. His failures didn't keep him down, and ironically perhaps his success could have destroyed him had he lived longer. The author's exploration of the real cause of Lee's death (heat stroke) puts to bed what was apparently a huge, conspiracy fueled debate. I'd highly recommend this book.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly enjoyable audiobook about the iconic martial arts master and film star Bruce Lee. His flame burned brightly for only 32 years, but his impact on civilization is eternal. Always enjoy learning about the person behind the fame. Just another human like you or me, except he had incredible physical talent (Kung fu AND cha cha champion) as well as personal magnetism of the sort usually reserved only for cult leaders. Learned a lot about both Hollywood and Chinese history, too. Interesting combo. Time to rewatch Enter the Dragon that was made for about $3 million but grossed roughly $1 billion (today’s dollars) at the box office. Incredible.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew almost nothing about Bruce Lee when I found this volume, and while he life was short (he died at 32), he did a lot during his years.

Growing up with his parents and several siblings in Hong Kong (though actually born in the United States of America), Bruce lived in an upper-class (for the era) household, but still got into a lot of fights and was a poor student in school, in large part because of his lack of self-discipline which he would finally gain when going to the United States for college. Rebellious, but arrogant and egotistical, he would challenge his own countrymen by mixing with non-Chinese and even shockingly teach them Oriental martial arts. On top of that, he rejected traditional techniques he found useless and would invent his own. He even married an American wife and would spend money lavishly, and went into the Hollywood and Hong Kong movie businesses for the sake of fame and fortune.

Presumably a reasonably accurate volume, his life and artistic choices are discussed and how they were affected by his relationships with other people. Also his long-term influence on popular entertainment is mentioned, such as making the image of Chinese as tough people as opposed to submissive, is described. Very interesting reading about a supposedly minor martial arts star whose influence was far greater than anyone might have realized.