Who Was Bruce Lee? by Jim Gigliotti

 Who Was...? biography series for middle grade enthralls with the story of Bruce Lee – one of the greatest martial-arts masters of all time.

Bruce Lee (1940-1973) from childhood was a bundle of energy, always playing, running or jumping. His family called him ‘never sits still.” 

He was born in San Francisco. His father was an actor in a traveling Chinese opera. 

When he was just a few months, his family returned to Hong Kong, where his parents were born. His dad’s job meant that Bruce was around the performing arts at a young age. 

He didn’t have the same enthusiasm for school. Instead, he was getting into fighting. One day, he lost a fight and got beat up. He decided he had to learn to protect himself better. So he began to study the martial arts called kung fu.

But he continued to get into many fights. When police knocked on the door of the family and warned that next time it will be jail, the family decided to send Bruce back to the US. 

He stayed at their friend’s house in Seattle where he enrolled at the University of Washington where he studied philosophy. It made him question his behavior and his attitude about fighting started to change. 

While still in school, he began to teach his friends kung fu. Later, he opened a teaching studio. 

After getting married and having his son, the family moved to Oakland, California, where he opened his studio and began developing his own martial-arts system. 

In 1964, at the First International Karate Tournament in Long Beach, California, Bruce showcased his skills. Jay Sebring was in the crowd and introduced Bruce to his friend William Dozier, Hollywood producer. Bruce was cast in a few roles but his acting didn’t really take off.

He went back to teaching kung fu, but thanks to his moves on the screen, the martial arts became very popular in the US. The Hollywood stars started knocking at his door. This led him to choreographing the martial-arts scenes in some movies.

In 1970, Bruce developed a pain in his back. He had permanently damaged a nerve in his back. He was told that his career was over. As Bruce was confined to bed, he didn’t waste any time. Instead, he continued to develop his philosophy – his personal code of conduct. After six months, he slowly began his own strategy for getting better.

Same year in 1970, he took a trip to Hong Kong where he met adoring fans. This gave him an idea to do acting in Chinese movies, which he did. He started breaking records in Asia. Then, Hollywood started to make notice of his movies. 

But on July 1973, while working on another movie, he developed a headache. He took some medicine and went to sleep. He never woke up. He had brain swelling.

This biography exemplifies a man who never faltered at challenges. When life knocked him down, he used it to ponder about life; its meaning and how to be a better human being.

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts. 

Published in 2014 by Penguin Workshop

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

 

Traits:

·         From childhood, Bruce was a bundle of energy, always playing, running or jumping.

·         At school, he did poorly as it was hard for him to sit still.

·         He got into fights all the time to a point that he almost faced jail, and was sent from Hong Kong to the US.

·         Despite his lack of enthusiasm for education, he was still encouraged to enroll in philosophy, which was a life changing experience for him. It opened his eyes, and made him realize that he was wrong to have sought out fights as a youngster.

·         In Hong Kong, he began to study the martial arts called kung fu. In the US, he began teaching it. Later combining it with philosophy, he began developing his own martial-arts system.

·         His acting didn’t take off in the US, but when visiting Hong Kong and seeing all the fans there, he realized that his audience was in Asia. Thus, he got into Chinese movies, and breaking records in Asia, which made Hollywood notice Bruce.

 

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee 

“I don’t believe in pure luck. You have to create your own luck. You have to be aware of the opportunities around you and take advantage of them.” – Bruce Lee 

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – Bruce Lee

“Always be yourself; express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee 

“Though we possess a pair of eyes, most of us do not really ‘see’ in the true sense of the word.” – Bruce Lee

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy by Sadhguru

Sadhguru is a guru from India. He teaches about self-transformation and exemplifies what he teaches about.

In this book, he relates the moment of his own awakening, and gives guidance to our highest spiritual enlightenment. He is devoted to humanitarian causes.

He explains the term guru: “dispeller of darkness, someone who opens the door for you…” He states, “As a guru, I have no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate. And that is because the only solution for all the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation means that nothing of the old remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way you perceive and experience life.”