I Am Jackie Chan

When the pains of war forced a couple to abandon their child to an opera school, a Chinese rags-to-riches story is born. the kid must fight for his survival including for his very food. He is subjected to brutal kung fu training that set the base for his martial arts action comedy films.

The book covers the early life of Jackie Chan starting with his abandonment and expanding into his triumphant days in the Asian movie market. Although he touches on parts of his intent to enter the US market, his emphasis was on his mid-life.

Chan relates his story with such great humor that it becomes easy to read, and irresistible to break free, you will read it to the end. One of the most interesting takes was how he portrays a newly found friend who deprives him of his food and bullied him throughout their early friendship.

He retraces his life as an apprentice in Australia. He worked as a constructor with a master builder known as Jack. He became so good at what he did, that people soon called him ‘Little Jack’ it Jackie. The name he uses today.

Yet despite his humor and frankness, the book pulls us into a sad story where we feel that Chan was somehow cheated in life. Always fighting and confronting those who would rather bypass him on the way. The small insights and tidbits that he made us glimpse, did not fall short of horror.

Chan was forced to out-think and outsmart his opponents but at times fell prey to their onslaught. The book brings us deeper into his movie-making days in Hong Kong. This changed his life as he started out as a stuntman and worked his way up to stardom.  He quickly stole the hearts of the Asians, and his fame grew beyond bounds.

He became Jackie Chan.

His tough upbringing has made him into a fighter who soon discovered his own unique style – moving away from the epic Bruce Lee or John Wu action films. His films soon became the pacesetter of a new movie genre. His success made him braver and he sought to expand to the US market.

He reserved his success in the US film industry for his sequel, Never Grow Up.   Even so, it never left us feeling cheated. The story carries several special features including:

• Top ten stunts
• Top ten fights
• His stunt injuries
• A filmography

One may be tempted to rate this autobiography above most that Hollywood rains to the market. His humility and honesty appeal to us and we share with him each stride of his struggle. However, the most influencing aspect of I Am Jackie Chan is how it relates to our lives.

Through his life, we can see our personal battles, and we yearn to triumph as he did. Whatever your take in life, this book will inspire you to greater altitudes and dreams.