“Me, Chi and Bruce Lee” by Brian Preston

Tonight I watched the Nick Nolte movie, "Peaceful Warrior." I had read the book when I was first out of commission with a newly torn ACL. After a three hour hike up a mountain, the young protege says to his wise mentor, "You brought me up here to see a rock? I was so excited the entire journey. I thought you were going to show me something, not a rock." After a few minutes to allow his anger to subside, he quietly surrenders, "It's about the journey, not the destination."

Brian Preston proves this yet again in his raw and unfiltered "Me, Chi and Bruce Lee", a book about his adventures in martial arts that go from an injury while learning Kung Fu, to a seminar with Royce Gracie, to the backwoods of China, to the UFC. It is a book written with the honesty that only a true beginner in the martial arts could have written. With nothing to lose, he details his journey and his thoughts honestly and without bias. If he doesn't feel the "chi," he doesn't tell you he does. It's a refreshing and fun book.

I dug into this book enthusiastically, being injured myself, and it does not disappoint. Preston swears, and he tells it as he sees it throughout:

"Remember the holy embryo? I'm thinking at this moment Freud missed the mark when he attributed penis envy to women. It's men who have womb envy: women, without even trying, can miraculously produce an entirely new human being out of their abdomen. To match that, men in their jealousy have to invent all kinds of mystical nonsense about Holy Embryos and Immortality" (247).

He doesn't buy all the mystical nonsense that many martial artists proclaim is key and he doesn't make any bones about it. It's not all funny stuff like this though. There's also serious stuff that really makes you think (and made me upset):

"He presents a scenario where good intentions make things worse. 'A guy comes across a gang rape and interferes. He dies. Because the woman is a witness, now they have to kill her too. Is that the right outcome?'"

This as justification to not get involved, even being a skilled martial artist. This from one of Preston's instructors.

If you've ever had an interest in knowing what Royce Gracie is really like or why Jeff Monson took his clothes off at the Abu Dhabi World Championship of Grappling, you want to check this book out. Getting inside the head of serious martial artists, whatever their style, is always something interesting and unique. If ancient martial arts are more your thing, "Me, Chi and Bruce Lee" delivers there as well.

Preston spends weeks in China, watching Wushu demonstrations and asking the great Masters tough questions, like why they beat the young children dropped off to learn their ancient art. Along the way he meets many martial artists, some serious, some not, and learns something from all of them. He approaches his research and the writing of this book in a refreshingly honest way, that only a beginner could do.

Although Preston settles himself on Taiji, he provides an overview of many martial arts styles in his journey all around the world to meet the Masters and learn about their chosen martial art. It's a journey that every martial artist should take, but few will be able. Why not let Preston be your tour guide?

The book is scheduled to be released on January 6, 2009 and can be pre-ordered through The BBM Review store via Amazon for $12.21 here.

BBM gives "Me, Chi and Bruce Lee". . .