Customer Reviews

Unsettled Matters: The Life & Death of Bruce Lee

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Obviously the author had a hidden agenda here. If Bruce Lee took steroids, why wasn't he real big and bulky? Steroids don't make you lean and mean.For those of you out there want to learn what steroids actually do to the human body, do some research. It's obvious that looking at Bruce's physique that he wasn't on steroids. The only thing Bruce was addicted to was his love for the Martial Arts.

"Unsettled Matters" was interesting reading for the most part, but considering the author's relationship with Linda Lee Caldwell (his ex-wife, Bruce Lee's widow) I found some of his implications & allegations a bit hard to swallow. I appreciate the revelations of negative aspects of "sacred cows" like Bruce Lee, it's good for fans to have a balanced view of their idol, but you have to consider the source here: an apparently bitter ex hiding behind claims of good intentions. Regarding some of his allegations about Bruce Lee, I'd agree with another reader that Bruce Lee didn't look like he was on steroids, he wasn't puffy like bodybuilders. Bleeker says Bruce wore a tracksuit throughout the making of his "Game of Death" because he was off steroids at that time & had subsequently lost a lot of muscle; pictures on the set of Bruce without a shirt reveal nothing of the sort. Bruce looked just as muscular as he did in "Enter The Dragon". The author also suggested that Raymond Chow was unhappy because he knew Bruce would choose Hollywood over Hong Kong for making movies, leaving Chow & his production company behind; all Bleeker needed to do to realize this was false was to watch Bruce Lee's "Lost Interview" in which Bruce stated his intention of working in both places (Jackie Chan's done so, why couln't Bruce?). Bleeker implies sinister goings on in the apparent dissappearance of the Lee family butler, Wu Ngan; these implications might be more convincing if not for the fact that Wu Ngan has been present enough to willingly grant interviews for a couple publications over the last few years. The author also accuses Bruce's friend, student, & bodyguard, Bob Baker, of having been his drug supplier; I suppose that was pretty easy to do as he did so after Baker's death. Apparently you can't defame a deceased person (though Bleeker sure seems to be trying with Bruce throughout this book).
Bruce Lee, of course, was only human, with all the weaknesses & shortcomings that go along with it (his struggle for success in Hollywood then finding quick superstardom in Hong Kong followed by Tinseltown finally courting him probably didn't help to keep Bruce exactly grounded), no rational person would deny that. No one's perfect. But some of the implications in here just don't hold up under scrutiny. Overall "Unsettled Matters" seems meanspirited out of spite. Not worth the price sellers are asking for.

This book did little to convince me that there are any unsettled matters regarding Bruce Lee's death. There may be some truth to certain parts of the book but in general I found it to be a vindictive piece of story telling. The author has no solid proof of any foul play surrounding Lee's death and the last few chapters, especially, are written in a sensationalist fashion and read like an amateur whodunnit.

In my view the book is not a well-balanced account of Bruce Lee's life and gives an unfair portrayal of Lee's character. The author shows little respect for his subject (despite pleading the opposite), and seems intent on depicting a negative image of Lee. Though I'm sure he had his faults, I'm not convinced he was the arrogant, promiscuous, drug-addict, who was only interested in fame and fortune, that Mr Bleeker seeks to portray him here. The book has a distinct lack of quotes from Lee's friends and at no time is there any mention of Lee's acts of kindness towards his friends and colleagues, or his love for his family. His son and daughter barely even warrant a mention.

The fact remains that Bruce Lee isn't here to defend himself and, unfortunately, taking out civil actions against people merely prompts the reaction that there's no smoke without fire. Mr Bleeker takes the title Unsettled Matters from the saying that "the buried man will not live in peace. There are unsettled matters!". I do indeed doubt that Bruce Lee will live in peace, at least while books like this are being written about him. My opinion of Bruce Lee is still that he was basically an honourable, truthful man.

I'm not sure why Mr Bleeker should choose to "tell the truth" about the life and death of Bruce Lee after all these years, though I find it dubious that he has done so quite so soon after the break up of his short-lived marriage to Lee's widow, Linda.

I would recommend that genuine fans of Bruce Lee don't bother reading this book. To anybody else I'd say take what you read with a pinch of salt. For a fairer, more even-handed, unprejudiced account of Lee's life and death, I would recommend reading "Fighting Spirit" by Bruce Thomas. In my opinion, one of the few biographies which grants Bruce Lee the respect he deserves.

I read this book in one sitting and was somewhat skeptical. Having attended several seminars by former students of Bruce, I believe that Mr. Bleeker has some other motive for writing this book other than to just tell the alledged true story. It's easy to talk about someone after they're dead. Sure Bruce had his faults, but who doesen't. I do not believe that Bruce used steroids. Pain medication maybe. Maybe Bleeker wants to discredit Bruce because he and Linda had a falling out. Who Knows? I just don't believe that Bruce had all those skeletons in his closet. However, I wouldn't put it past the Chinese Mafia to have had something to do with Bruce's death. This book is interesting reading but I don't think it was all based on fact!

The book reads easely. But it is a bad book for believers in Bruce Lee. Why is he the only one who knows about those facts ? Why should I believe him, he has no prove.

This book was given to me because a friend mistakenly thought that it was about Bruce Lee. Instead, one-third of the book deals with the author's obsession about how much "money" the Bruce Lee estate may or may not have made since Bruce Lee died. Apart from obvious falsehoods, such as Bruce NOT knowing real-life student, Robert Baker until he started making movies in Hong Kong (Baker was a student of James Lee's, Bruce's close friend out of Oakland and visited Bruce Lee many times throughout the 1960s). The author is also a student of former kenpo czar, Ed Parker, and his bias shows through on every page. In speaking with people who actually trained with Bruce Lee at his house and in his Chinatown school in L.A., no one seems to recall this "close friend" of Bruce's ever being anywhere near Bruce. It's no wonder Linda Lee divorced him so quickly. Save yourself from wasting your money. Buy the Tao of Jeet Kune Do and really learn something.

"Unsettled Matters" provides more detail about Bruce Lee's life and death than any other biography about the man, written or filmed, including those by Linda Lee herself. The author doesn't pull any punches, which may upset many fans who buy into the image of Bruce that has been perpetuated for the last 27 years. It is also very interesting when you find out how the author came upon all this information and why so many people don't want you to hear it. If you're simply a martial artist that's interseted in JKD, then there is plenty of worthwhile material out there. However, if you have a sincere interest in Bruce Lee himself then you will be cheating yourself by not reading this book and hearing another side of the story. How did he die? There are no absolute answers given about his death but, there is some real discussion of all the facts involved. How did he live? Like anyone else...with hopes and dreams and mistakes; and yes even with some mystery. I have considered myself a fan for over 20 years (I'm 31)and am angered that most of this information has been previously unavailable. It has changed my image of Bruce slightly, but more so it has opened my eyes to the lies that have surrounded his public image and the people that have perpetuated these lies. Don't let anyone tell you who Bruce was..do your own research and this is a great place to start!

According to the review info, presumably supplied by the one-man company who wrote and published this title:
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From Scientific American
I just finished reading Unsettled Matters and all I can say is that I could not sleep last night. The world should know the truth, and Mr. Bleecker is right to tell it.

From The New Yorker
I finished reading Unsettled Matters today. It is the best book I have ever read on the subject of Bruce Lee. I give it a 5-star rating.
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Who do you think you are kidding? Couldn't you aim a little more realistic and say "San Leandro Daily News" or "KPGX Lite Rock"? How feasible is it that Scien-friggin'-tific American would write a review on a vanity project about Bruce Lee? Or The New Yorker? And I'm pretty sure you'd get demoted to copy editor in charge of mass e-mails if you turned in bad writing like that at both of those publications.

I think attaching fake prestige reviews to a self-published book has to be a new low. Then again, I noticed that to promote another one of his titles, this Bleeker character sent the book to the White House, then took the resulting form letter and characterized it as "praised by Barack Obama." Gotta almost respect the shamelessness of it. In fact, if he writes a book about indecent self-promotion, it might have the ring of authenticity distinctly lacking in this clumsy hatchet job.

Have you ever wondered why a bully picks on some one smaller than himself? Maybe it's because he believes putting someone down will lift him up. Maybe it's his low self esteem, or his poignant past. Whatever the circumstances are, this book is appalling with nothing diminutive of lies, fantasy and outright pure jealousy. I believe that the author of this book is invidious of Bruce Lee and therefore just trying to dishonor his legacy. Save your money and save your time; this is not the truth - and nothing close to it.

I simply cannot believe anything the author wrote. why? well bruce lee's weight fluctuated between 125 lbs, and 149 lbs most of his life!!(at a height of around 5'6 1/2) his body was nothing special ( I have a brother of around the same stature that went into the marines at around 160lbs and left weighing 145 lbs and having a similar build to bruce lee's although not quite as cut) if bruce lee where to have taken steroids he would have easilly been able to have similar build at a weight of 175 lbs!!
bodybuilders at his height hover around 215 lbs cut for bodybuilding contest (they almost all take steroids) I am a fitness buff and knowing what i know i do not see anything out of the ordinary in his body or what he could do... some signs to look for are tiny bumps in peoples stomachs something resembling a pimple (buy a bodybuilding mag and you will see what i mean) or a big roundish bump over the spinal cord right before the neck, sometimes the abs get a little deformed too.
so please stop hatting on bruce because i know the people that are really enjoying this book are the ones who are just jealous that he did more with his short life than most of us will do in a life time.