The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir [Hardcover]

Davis Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2000

In this companion volume to his critically acclaimed first book, The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Davis Miller turns his attention to a second iconic figure of the twentieth century--and another of Miller's own seminal influences: film star and martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Just weeks after completing Enter the Dragon, his first vehicle for a worldwide audience, Bruce Lee--the self-proclaimed world's fittest man--died mysteriously at the age of thirty-two. The film has since grossed over $500 million, making it one of the most profitable in the history of cinema, and Lee has acquired almost mythic status.

Lee was a flawed, complex, yet singular talent. He revolutionized the martial arts and forever changed action moviemaking. But what has his legacy truly meant to the fans he left behind? To author Davis Miller, Lee was a profound mentor and a transformative inspiration. As a troubled young man in rural North Carolina, Miller was on a road to nowhere when he first saw Enter the Dragon, an encounter that would lead him on a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey and would change his life.

As in The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Miller brilliantly combines biography--the fullest, most unflinching and revelatory to date--with his own coming-of-age story. The result is a unique and compelling book.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First, it should be understood that this book is less about Bruce Lee than about the author and Lee's influence on his life. During his adolescent years, the diminutive, troubled Miller was probably the only guy on the planet who could have had the hurt put on him by the 98-pound weakling of Charles Atlas ads. Then came Muhammad Ali and Bruce LeeDa large man who moved with preternatural grace and a small man whose punching power almost matched his blinding speed. Both seemed almost to "do it with mirrors" and, reasoned the young Miller, perhaps so could he, as he devoted his life to kickboxing and in the process discovered that he did, indeed, have a life. In his first book, The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Miller already honored one hero. In this one, after telling his story, Miller spends not quite half the book on Lee's saga, gently debunking many myths. If Lee fanatics stay around this long, it's worth the wait, though they might take exception to some of what Miller has to say. Recommended for larger public libraries.DJim Burns, Ottumwa P.L., IA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The title is deceptive. This fantastic second book by Miller runs deeper than an account of the author growing up as a "karate kid" in the early 1970s. It is equally a study of the nature and role of the hero in popular culture, a poignant and unusual coming-of-age story, and an informative biography of Bruce Lee. As with Muhammad Ali, the author's other childhood hero (The Tao of Muhammad Ali [1996], Lee was part of the select group of athletes who transcended sports to become international pop culture icons. Miller begins the story with his own dismal childhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His mother died early in his life; he was a miserable child and adolescent--scrawny, with few friends and no apparent academic or vocational gifts or inclinations. Watching Lee in Enter the Dragon in 1973 changed his life. Miller began a lifelong interest in martial arts and Eastern philosophy. In the late 1980s, he traded his punching bags for a computer and became a writer and journalist, and it is his skill as a storyteller that really makes Tao shine. He beautifully illuminates the pitfalls and triumphs of Lee's early life, captivating the reader. In the end, he dispels many of the myths behind Bruce Lee the man that captivated him as a youth, myths about Lee's ability as a karate god and mystic seer. In the end, Miller comes to terms with the smaller man behind his larger-than-life hero. Ted Leventhal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 193 pages
• Publisher: Harmony (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609604775
• ISBN-13: 978-0609604779
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #609,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth a read for never published details of Lee's death, June 23, 2003

By 

Michael (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tao of Bruce Lee (Paperback)

Aside from Davis Miller's own personal, very poignant, pithily written story in this book, 'Tao of Bruce Lee' should be read for the revelatory details of Bruce Lee's demise, so many of which have never before been revealed. This is the only book of consequence about Bruce Lee -- and a powerful yet abstruse read that should be honoured and learnt from.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Reading!, May 29, 2001

By 

Simon Kenny (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir (Hardcover)

At last a book on Lee from a REAL Author! Davis Miller combines a biography of Bruce Lee with his own inspiring story of a youngster growing up in North Carolina. This is truly 'A' class writing that literally keeps you on the edge of your seat, not only to find out some home truths about Bruce Lee but also to follow the progress of the young 'foetus' Miller as he struggles to find his own identity. I had never heard of the author until I read this book and only picked it up because of it's subject matter but I will make a point of purchasing anything Miller writes in the future, Lee related or not. This is not only a must buy for any Bruce Lee fan but a must buy for any lover of great literature. 5 star reading from a 5 star author!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun reading, December 2, 2004

By 

Gumby (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tao of Bruce Lee (Paperback)

"I desperately need something to read", I suddenly recalled when I was heading for my favourite coffeshop. So, I popped in and started to look for something, and this book sort of beamed at me. I got it under the impression that it was a biography about Bruce Lee, but it turns out that it is more a book about Davis Miller's relation to Bruce Lee and how Lee has influenced him. It is very easy reading and a quite nice book, and at page 97 and onwards a small biography about Bruce Lee (or Li Jun Fan, which was his real name) appears. Apparently it is hard to find any books with true facts, Davis Miller claims that this one shall be rather close to truth, and you will learn that Bruce Lee wasn't the lonely martial arts master that one thinks. If you like martial arts in general, and more specifically Bruce Lee, get this book, you will finish it within a couple of days and it is fun reading.