Bruce Lee: A Life - Matthew Polly

Cover of Bruce Lee by Matthew Polly

As someone I admired for a long time, I know very little about the life of Bruce Lee. Matthew Polly’s biography on Bruce is a holistic account of Bruce Lee the superstar actor and martial artist, but also Bruce Lee the son, husband, and father. Though Bruce can be short tempered, aggressive, and egotistical at times. It was his sheer determination, charisma, and crazy ambition that catapulted him to the pantheon of both the martial art and cinema world.

At 656 pages, I thought this book was a bit lengthy and some parts were quite dry. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to read the biography of the first self-made Asian superstar and the obstacles he faced along his journey. His movies single handedly changed the perception of Asians, especially Asian men, to Western audiences. And almost 50 years after his death, his legacy and influence is still felt today.