Rating: 
Summary: no replace ment
Review: If you enjoy curling up with a good martial arts biography after practice, this book is most definately written for you. Here is the opportunity to read not about one man, but about an entire family of superb competitors and technicians! This large, high-quality volume (same size & style as his other books) includes a vast number of color & black & white photographs, many previously unpublished. Kid Peligro has utilized his friendship with the Gracie Family, knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and his access to the Gracie Family archives to present to us one of the most complete volumes on what may be the greatest martial arts dynasty of our time. Finally we can read about-and SEE!-the amazing Carlos Gracie, the man who studied under Mitsuyo Maeda and started it all. There is a lot of info on Carlos's brother Helio, as well as subsequent generations of Gracies including Rolls, Rickson, Royler, etc. photos include the men in competition, training, and in more quiet interludes with family and friends. This volume is fun to read, and includes many old pictures of the Gracies and their students from the "old days". As did another reviewer, I too noticed the lack of info on recent events not in the Gracie family's favor, such as some of the recent defeats in both Brazilian Jiu jitsu competition and NHB contests. I find this odd as there is a thorough treatment of the only two defeats Helio Gracie ever suffered. Yes, the Gracies still win much more often than they lose--but why omit blow-by-blow info on recent defeats? That alone however, does little to dim my entheusiasm for this work much. All in all, this book is very worth the money. If you like to read about heart and spirit, I don't think there is a better volume in the martial arts field right now. The Gracie art is practical, sensible, and full of history. It seems an understatement to mention that the Gracies are a fascinating family.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb History!
Review: If you enjoy curling up with a good martial arts biography after practice, this book is most definately written for you. Here is the opportunity to read not about one man, but about an entire family of superb competitors and technicians! This large, high-quality volume (same size & style as his other books) includes a vast number of color & black & white photographs, many previously unpublished. Kid Peligro has utilized his friendship with the Gracie Family, knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and his access to the Gracie Family archives to present to us one of the most complete volumes on what may be the greatest martial arts dynasty of our time. Finally we can read about-and SEE!-the amazing Carlos Gracie, the man who studied under Mitsuyo Maeda and started it all. There is a lot of info on Carlos's brother Helio, as well as subsequent generations of Gracies including Rolls, Rickson, Royler, etc. photos include the men in competition, training, and in more quiet interludes with family and friends. This volume is fun to read, and includes many old pictures of the Gracies and their students from the "old days". As did another reviewer, I too noticed the lack of info on recent events not in the Gracie family's favor, such as some of the recent defeats in both Brazilian Jiu jitsu competition and NHB contests. I find this odd as there is a thorough treatment of the only two defeats Helio Gracie ever suffered. Yes, the Gracies still win much more often than they lose--but why omit blow-by-blow info on recent defeats? That alone however, does little to dim my entheusiasm for this work much. All in all, this book is very worth the money. If you like to read about heart and spirit, I don't think there is a better volume in the martial arts field right now. The Gracie art is practical, sensible, and full of history. It seems an understatement to mention that the Gracies are a fascinating family.
Rating:
Summary: Action-Packed!
Review: If you love martial arts and no-holds fighting, then this is going to be your favorite all-time book. The Gracie family changed martial arts forever, and here are the stories and photos to prove it. I'd seen Royce fight in the UFC, but until now had no idea of the incredible things his family has done. The historical photos are fascinating, and the modern fight shots are unbelievable! Even without all the photos, the stories would keep you riveted. I just bought three more copies for my friends!
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSY PRODUCTION
Review: Kid Peligro did a great job with this book. It is filled with rich insights and extremely readable. Yes, it is a celebration - not a critique or objective history, but a very well put together book. Apart from the wins and losses, it gives you some idea of the soul of the Gracies, a unique family like no other. Anyone vaguely interested in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or the world of fighting should take a look. We need more books like this one!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: Tells the story of the famous Gracie family, showing How they developed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through the generations. WIth this book you can understand the origin of the NHB and MMA competitions in Brazil. Very good text and great pictures to ilustrate.
I recommend the book to any martial art enthusiastic!
Rating:
Summary: A must have - Great Book
Review: The Gracie Way is an incredible book with amazing pictures and great stories about the Gracie family. It is divided in ten chapters covering the top Gracies of alltime. It is loaded with old archival pictures intermixed with current pictures of the Gracies fighting and hanging out. The book goes back to the origins of the family and traces their evolution from the early days in Brazil, their move to America and the UFC, their forrays in Japan. There are many great, behind the scenes stories. With its stunning printing it is a must have!
Rating: 
Summary: A Celebration of the Gracies, not a History
Review: This book is called an "illustrated history" of the most famous family in martial arts. While it has some useful information about the Gracies, it is less a history of the family by an outside and objective observer than it is a celebration of the family's achievements by someone who is almost part of the family himself. First, the book's good points. The illustrations are beautiful. Many photos are in color, including some that are large enough to cover two pages. There are also a few black and white photos of Carlos and Helio in their fighting prime. The book gives ample space to not only the more famous members of the Gracie family from an American or European perspective -- fighters such as Rickson, Royce, and Royler -- but also to those Gracies who are not as well known -- fighters such as Rolls and Carlos Jr. Finally, the book is generally well-written and well-organized. Unfortunately, despite these good points, the book's author, Kid Peligro, simply doesn't have the emotional distance from the family to cover it objectively. For most U.S. and European readers, this will be evident when the book turns to more recent events. An especially egregious example is the coverage of Royler Gracie's fight against mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in the Pride Fighting Championships. To anyone who didn't have a dog in that fight, Sakuraba obviously destroyed Royler. It was such an embarrassing mismatch that in the middle of the contest Royler was reduced to asking -- pleading, really -- for his Japanese opponent to go down to the mat and wrestle him. Near the end of the fight, Sakuraba did indeed go down with Royler and quickly put the Brazilian in an armbar (in what is known as a "Kimura"). He held it for about fifteen seconds to a half minute, slowing torquing it as Royler refused to concede. With less than a minute left, the Japanese referee finally decided to call the match in Sakuraba's favor out of fear that Royler's arm might break. As the match was without judges, and any fight that did not end in a knockout or submission was to be ruled a draw, the Gracies were upset at the referee's decision. Royler had not been knocked out or submitted, but the referee had given Sakuraba the victory anyway. In his book, Peligro gives Sakuraba some credit (how could he not?), but basically argues that his victory was tainted and that Royler had learned a valuable lesson from the fight: "I learned jiu-jitsu has no limits." Actually, the lesson Royler should have learned from the fight was that if he takes on a great opponent in a mixed martial arts contest, he has a good chance of being crippled. The punishment he absorbed, especially to his legs, was enormous. If the fight had not been just two rounds, Royler would have quickly decided that jiu-jitsu did indeed have limits and that he had reached them. Peligro also mischaracterizes Sakuraba's Kimura: it was well-set and there was nothing Royler could do to defend against it other than to hope he was more flexible than Gumby. If you watch the fight, there are a couple camera shots where Royler grimaces when Sakuraba twists his arm. He was clearly in pain. He also could not hit Sakuraba or otherwise improve his position. A referee is well within his rights to stop a fight if he thinks a fighter's well-being is in danger. There are other examples of this kind of coverage in the book. Why doesn't Rickson fight quality opponents? Why isn't Royce's jiu-jitsu match against Wallid Ismail included in the book? These omissions and the slanted view of several fights show that Peligro is not interested in history so much as he is in celebrating the Gracie family. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. The Gracies deserve credit for revolutionizing martial arts and popularizing mixed martial arts contests. But an honest history would also address the fact that the Gracies are no longer at the cutting edge of mixed martial arts as they once were. This book does not do that.
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration of the Gracies, not a History
Review: This book is called an "illustrated history" of the most famous family in martial arts. While it has some useful information about the Gracies, it is less a history of the family by an outside and objective observer than it is a celebration of the family's achievements by someone who is almost part of the family himself. First, the book's good points. The illustrations are beautiful. Many photos are in color, including some that are large enough to cover two pages. There are also a few black and white photos of Carlos and Helio in their fighting prime. The book gives ample space to not only the more famous members of the Gracie family from an American or European perspective -- fighters such as Rickson, Royce, and Royler -- but also to those Gracies who are not as well known -- fighters such as Rolls and Carlos Jr. Finally, the book is generally well-written and well-organized. Unfortunately, despite these good points, the book's author, Kid Peligro, simply doesn't have the emotional distance from the family to cover it objectively. For most U.S. and European readers, this will be evident when the book turns to more recent events. An especially egregious example is the coverage of Royler Gracie's fight against mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in the Pride Fighting Championships. To anyone who didn't have a dog in that fight, Sakuraba obviously destroyed Royler. It was such an embarrassing mismatch that in the middle of the contest Royler was reduced to asking -- pleading, really -- for his Japanese opponent to go down to the mat and wrestle him. Near the end of the fight, Sakuraba did indeed go down with Royler and quickly put the Brazilian in an armbar (in what is known as a "Kimura"). He held it for about fifteen seconds to a half minute, slowing torquing it as Royler refused to concede. With less than a minute left, the Japanese referee finally decided to call the match in Sakuraba's favor out of fear that Royler's arm might break. As the match was without judges, and any fight that did not end in a knockout or submission was to be ruled a draw, the Gracies were upset at the referee's decision. Royler had not been knocked out or submitted, but the referee had given Sakuraba the victory anyway. In his book, Peligro gives Sakuraba some credit (how could he not?), but basically argues that his victory was tainted and that Royler had learned a valuable lesson from the fight: "I learned jiu-jitsu has no limits." Actually, the lesson Royler should have learned from the fight was that if he takes on a great opponent in a mixed martial arts contest, he has a good chance of being crippled. The punishment he absorbed, especially to his legs, was enormous. If the fight had not been just two rounds, Royler would have quickly decided that jiu-jitsu did indeed have limits and that he had reached them. Peligro also mischaracterizes Sakuraba's Kimura: it was well-set and there was nothing Royler could do to defend against it other than to hope he was more flexible than Gumby. If you watch the fight, there are a couple camera shots where Royler grimaces when Sakuraba twists his arm. He was clearly in pain. He also could not hit Sakuraba or otherwise improve his position. A referee is well within his rights to stop a fight if he thinks a fighter's well-being is in danger. There are other examples of this kind of coverage in the book. Why doesn't Rickson fight quality opponents? Why isn't Royce's jiu-jitsu match against Wallid Ismail included in the book? These omissions and the slanted view of several fights show that Peligro is not interested in history so much as he is in celebrating the Gracie family. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. The Gracies deserve credit for revolutionizing martial arts and popularizing mixed martial arts contests. But an honest history would also address the fact that the Gracies are no longer at the cutting edge of mixed martial arts as they once were. This book does not do that.
Rating:
Summary: no replace ment
Review: this is da best jiu jitsu book ive ever read i think if u are a tru brazilian jiujitsu practitioneer u should read this book and find out were ur roots really came from
Rating:
Summary: The Best Mma book yet
Review: This is the best MMA book yet. The Gracie way has great stories about MMA's#1 fight family illustrated with fantastic pcitures from Susunu Nagao and others. The author goes behind the scenes in many of the families biggest figths and gives never before details about them. The book is covered with ancient family pictures. The best chapter is about Roll's Gracie who I heard lots about and knew very little of. Peligro interviewed many of Roll's friends and family and compiled a very interesting and insightfull picture of Roll's All fight fans should read this book as it gives a look inside the game on a family that has been in the game for over 70 years. Get it!
| 
