Rating: 
Summary: What doesn't kill you . . .
Review: In The Tao of Bruce Lee Davis Miller attempts to strip away the layers of myth which have encased, and almost obliterated, the real story of Bruce Lee. The result of his efforts is a broader and 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-call includes fictional figures such as Scott Fitzgerald's Gatsby to the all too human icons of James Dean, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and 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 and 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, and 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, and was in reality more interested in dancing, acting and 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 mentally and physically 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 and 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 and girls, and 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 and rows of almost fetish-like shinny shoes, he remained, in spite of all his sartorial efforts, an outsider. My only criticisms of the book are slight; a few well chosen photographs would have been a plus. Overall, Davis Miller's The Tao of Bruce Lee lives up to the blurb on the back cover. It is a unique and 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).
Rating:
Summary: title of book is subtle
Review: My opinion about the title of this book is that it has layered meanings. Not only is it about Bruce Lee and his "tao" - way - of life, it is about the many ways that Lee influenced Davis Miller and other Bruce Lee fans. It is also a somewhat ironical title. As the author explains in the book, it relates to the fact that Bruce Lee's early death may have been hastened by the ways he was living day to day, by his own "tao." This is a quality book and a serious and subtle read.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as Davis Miller's other books
Review: Strong reporting, original ideas, very good storytelling, but not as good as its companion volumes, The Tao of Muhammad Ali and The Zen of Muhammad Ali, both of which I regularly recommend to friends.
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