Bruce Lee and I

Non Fiction, Biographical, grade 7 through adult.

Trade Paper

Private Letters and Photographs

Synopsis

The legendary martial artist and film star Bruce Lee had many students, but few teachers. Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, who brought Tae Kwon Do from Korea to the United States in 1956 and has taught over 250 members of the U.S. Congress, is one of those teachers. Bruce Lee and I is Rhee’s intimate, non-fiction, biographical account of the 10-year friendship between these two martial arts legends. The book includes 19 private letters from Bruce Lee to Jhoon Rhee, and Bruce Lee photos from the private Jhoon Rhee Collection, and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of The Green Hornet, The Big Boss, Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, and other Bruce Lee television shows and films. In this beautifully-designed, mainstream book with mass market appeal, Rhee explains how he taught his friend’s secret punching technique to Muhammad Ali, who then credited “Mr. Jhoon Rhee’s Accupunch” with his knock out of British champ Richard Dunn. “Jhoon Rhee and Bruce had a teacher-teacher relationship, one built on mutual respect.” writes Linda Lee Cadwell, wife of the late Bruce Lee, in her foreword. The book has 15 chapters, 22 photos, 19 reproductions of private letters that include Bruce Lee’s poetry, an index, and footnotes.