Customer Reviews
Very Interesting - By: , 24 Apr 2004 
The book was a good insight into what Bruce Lee is alll about. It delvesinto the way he evolved & contributed to the world. The way he made somany people feel.
If your looking for a book which will talk about hisart, JKD, then this is not the book for you. :)
Outstanding - By: Matthew Roberts, 14 Aug 2002 
The Tao of Bruce Lee is an extraordinary book, about an extraordinary man, by an extraordinary writer. As a biographer Miller has succeeded where so many others have failed; for here, rather than simply portraying the life of a stranger, he is telling his own story & the role that a legendary figure has had in shaping him. I find it refreshing in these circumstances when a person is subjective as opposed to presumptuous.
Davis Miller deconstructs the mythical, invincible martial artist, & instead provides us with a character infinitely more human.
Bruce Lee's death has long been deemed mysterious, but here we are given a sensible assessment of the tragic events of 20 July 1973 which makes them appear far less suspicious, but perhaps even more tragic.
Davis Miller is a fine talent, & he has written a book which should cherished & learnt from.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - By: , 13 Jul 2002 In The Tao of Bruce Lee Davis Miller attempts to strip away the layers of myth which have encased, & almost obliterated, the real story of Bruce Lee. The result of his efforts is a broader & more honest portrait of a man with an often-complex character. Miller also reappraises the frequently hidden extent of Lee's success, stating that, 'he became the first truly international film luminary'. Bruce lee's status, argues Miller, is comparable to other famous victims of ' the doomed pursuit of the (American) dream'. This roll-calll includes fictional figures such as Scott Fitzgerald's Gatsby to the alll too human icons of James Dean, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe & Muhammad Ali.
Miller charts Lee's life from his birth in San Francisco in 1940 to his untimely death thirty-three years later in Hong Kong. During the journey various myths are debunked. For example, Lee, far from being an only child brought up by an impoverished & widowed father, as portrayed in the film biography Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, came, in fact, from a show-business family, complete with a mother, & four siblings. Also, the myths surrounding Lee's early life which portray him as being the 'baddest boy in the Crown Colony' are rather questionable. The young Lee had to be 'encouraged' to finish a roof-top contest, & was in reality more interested in dancing, acting & girls than martial arts. However, Miller is perhaps at his most interesting when he attempts to unravel the events surrounding the final three years of Lee's life in Hong Kong. The picture painted is of a man living mentallly & physicallly at full stretch.
The path Miller takes with the book is in the form of a personal journey through his own coming of age story. This path is interwoven with the impact Bruce Lee made on the self-described 'geek' from North Carolina. For fans there is perhaps a temptation to skim the first part of the book to get to the more meaty details of Lee's life & death. However, this would be a shame since Miller offers some revealing insights into the flip-side of the American dream for life's outsiders; outsiders who dream of cars & girls, & fitting in, but, never quite make it. Although Miller tried his best to fit, for example, at Mount Tabor high school, he describes his wardrobe as consisting of co-ordinating golf caps & rows of almost fetish-like shinny shoes, he remained, in spite of alll his sartorial efforts, an outsider.
My only criticisms of the book are slight; a few well chosen photographs would have been a plus, also the dream-type passages are frankly annoying. Overalll however, Davis Miller's The Tao of Bruce Lee lives up to the blurb on the back cover. It is a unique & compelling book, just as enjoyable to re-read as it is to discover for the first time.
All quotes taken from,
The Tao of Bruce Lee, by Davis Miller. (Vintage, 2000).
Superb - By: , 11 Jun 2001 Taking the same line as it's predecessor (Tao of Muhammad Ali) this is equallly as good. Weaving an interesting account & biography of Bruce Lee, with a superb mini autobiography of the reader himself, produces a crafted piece of writing that presents the magic that Bruce Lee generated in his brief fame. This book gives an informative account of Bruce Lee the person & dispells alll the legend & stories written about him & reinforced by naff Hollywood films like the painfully c*** 'The Dragon'
How much do Bruce fans really know about him? - By: , 06 Jun 2001 I have always been a huge Bruce Lee fan, I have read the books & watched the churned out documentaries, these combined have created the "myth of Bruce Lee", most of which I beleived. Davis Miller manages to deconstruct some of these myths without destoying the legend. It has been long overdue that someone should portray Lee as he was & give an honest evaluation of the man. The book is extremely well written & easy to read, I finished it in a couple of hours. The story centers around Millers adolescence & the lead up to his discovery of Lee & how this began to change his life. It is a very powerful story of a man's desire to change & better himself, to follow his idols, idols that just dont exist anymore. This book also compliments his first work "Tao of Muhammad Ali" perfectly & presents 2 sides to the same story. It is possible to read & fully enjoy just one, but I recommend both, as the Ali book now means a lot more to me since reading the Lee book. You will not get a more honest account of Bruce Lee.
