The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series)

First, the book's good points. The illustrations are beautiful. Many photos are in color, including some that are large enough to cover two pages. There are also a few black and white photos of Carlos and Helio in their fighting prime. The book gives ample space to not only the more famous members of the Gracie family from an American or European perspective -- fighters such as Rickson, Royce, and Royler -- but also to those Gracies who are not as well known -- fighters such as Rolls and Carlos Jr. Finally, the book is generally well-written and well-organized.

Unfortunately, despite these good points, the book's author, Kid Peligro, simply doesn't have the emotional distance from the family to cover it objectively. For most U.S. and European readers, this will be evident when the book turns to more recent events. An especially egregious example is the coverage of Royler Gracie's fight against mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in the Pride Fighting Championships.

To anyone who didn't have a dog in that fight, Sakuraba obviously destroyed Royler. It was such an embarrassing mismatch that in the middle of the contest Royler was reduced to asking -- pleading, really -- for his Japanese opponent to go down to the mat and wrestle him. Near the end of the fight, Sakuraba did indeed go down with Royler and quickly put the Brazilian in an armbar (in what is known as a "Kimura"). He held it for about fifteen seconds to a half minute, slowing torquing it as Royler refused to concede. With less than a minute left, the Japanese referee finally decided to call the match in Sakuraba's favor out of fear that Royler's arm might break. As the match was without judges, and any fight that did not end in a knockout or submission was to be ruled a draw, the Gracies were upset at the referee's decision. Royler had not been knocked out or submitted, but the referee had given Sakuraba the victory anyway.

In his book, Peligro gives Sakuraba some credit (how could he not?), but basically argues that his victory was tainted and that Royler had learned a valuable lesson from the fight: "I learned jiu-jitsu has no limits." Actually, the lesson Royler should have learned from the fight was that if he takes on a great opponent in a mixed martial arts contest, he has a good chance of being crippled. The punishment he absorbed, especially to his legs, was enormous. If the fight had not been just two rounds, Royler would have quickly decided that jiu-jitsu did indeed have limits and that he had reached them. Peligro also mischaracterizes Sakuraba's Kimura: it was well-set and there was nothing Royler could do to defend against it other than to hope he was more flexible than Gumby. If you watch the fight, there are a couple camera shots where Royler grimaces when Sakuraba twists his arm. He was clearly in pain. He also could not hit Sakuraba or otherwise improve his position. A referee is well within his rights to stop a fight if he thinks a fighter's well-being is in danger.

There are other examples of this kind of coverage in the book. Why doesn't Rickson fight quality opponents? Why isn't Royce's jiu-jitsu match against Wallid Ismail included in the book? These omissions and the slanted view of several fights show that Peligro is not interested in history so much as he is in celebrating the Gracie family. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. The Gracies deserve credit for revolutionizing martial arts and popularizing mixed martial arts contests. But an honest history would also address the fact that the Gracies are no longer at the cutting edge of mixed martial arts as they once were. This book does not do that.


Outstanding history, pictures and annecdotes   May 19, 2003
therosen (New York, NY United States)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is truly a unique write-up of the Gracie family, pioneers of Brazilian jiu jitsu and modern martial arts. The book is organized around chapters from the founders of Gracie Jiu Jitsu (Carlos and Helio) through the family champions (Carlson, Rolls and Rickson), famous instructors (Rorion and Carlos Jr.) and modern champions (Royler, Renzo & Royce).

Behind the backdrop of personal biographies is a history of the art. Brazilian jiu jitsu started with Count Koma, who taught it to Carlos, who in turn taught it to Helio. Helio, Carlson and Rolls all put their own personal imprints on the art while in Brazil. Rorion brought the art to the US, introducing it to the masses through the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Although the book paints a very positive picture of the family, it does cover some of the troubles the family has seen. Royler, Renzo and Royce's defeats at the hands of Sakuraba are covered, as well as the breakup of Carlos's team of champions.

The photographs alone make the book a treasure. Kid Peligro has unequaled family archives, which provides stories not heard elsewhere. In addition, he was able to interview many friends of the family such as Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti and Carlao Valente.

A very interesting book to anyone interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the history. There's something new for everyone. Except maybe technique - that's another book! :-)


Written with loving care...and exceptional bias.   October 27, 2003
G. Yam
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

I fully echo what J. Steele has said in an earlier review. The production on this book is fantastic. If you are a Gracie fan, you will be in heaven. For the layman, this is a really interesting read...if you heed the warnings. For the martial arts historian or fan, this book is severely lacking in the credibility department.

Kid Peligro does indeed have unparalleled access to the Gracie family, and the quality of the family photos and interviews reflects this. The reporting of some of the more controversial events is where the problem lies. An outsider reading this book would not believe that Sakuraba had beaten half the Gracie family soundly in MMA. Gracie losses are mere footnotes, or passed off as no-contests. Similarly the report of Helio's historic loss to Kimura spends more in describing Helio beating Kato, then insinuating that Kimura was bigger, younger and stronger than Helio - well maybe Helio shouldn't have challenged him then. After Kimura breaks Helio's arm, there is the ridiculous suggestion that the whole thing was a ploy for Helio to glean knowledge from Kimura, and in some way this was a victory - Helio had "learned everything he could from Kimura."

Sadly the text is riddled with such obvious and disappointing bias. Just a little less rhetoric would have made this book outstanding.


A Superb History!   June 12, 2003
C. J. Hardman (San Diego, CA USA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

If you enjoy curling up with a good martial arts biography after practice, this book is most definately written for you. Here is the opportunity to read not about one man, but about an entire family of superb competitors and technicians!

This large, high-quality volume (same size & style as his other books) includes a vast number of color & black & white photographs, many previously unpublished. Kid Peligro has utilized his friendship with the Gracie Family, knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and his access to the Gracie Family archives to present to us one of the most complete volumes on what may be the greatest martial arts dynasty of our time.

Finally we can read about-and SEE!-the amazing Carlos Gracie, the man who studied under Mitsuyo Maeda and started it all. There is a lot of info on Carlos's brother Helio, as well as subsequent generations of Gracies including Rolls, Rickson, Royler, etc. photos include the men in competition, training, and in more quiet interludes with family and friends. This volume is fun to read, and includes many old pictures of the Gracies and their students from the "old days".

As did another reviewer, I too noticed the lack of info on recent events not in the Gracie family's favor, such as some of the recent defeats in both Brazilian Jiu jitsu competition and NHB contests. I find this odd as there is a thorough treatment of the only two defeats Helio Gracie ever suffered. Yes, the Gracies still win much more often than they lose--but why omit blow-by-blow info on recent defeats? That alone however, does little to dim my entheusiasm for this work much.

All in all, this book is very worth the money. If you like to read about heart and spirit, I don't think there is a better volume in the martial arts field right now. The Gracie art is practical, sensible, and full of history. It seems an understatement to mention that the Gracies are a fascinating family.


A CLASSY PRODUCTION   October 19, 2003
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Kid Peligro did a great job with this book. It is filled with rich insights and extremely readable.

Yes, it is a celebration - not a critique or objective history, but a very well put together book.

Apart from the wins and losses, it gives you some idea of the soul of the Gracies, a unique family like no other.

Anyone vaguely interested in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or the world of fighting should take a look.

We need more books like this one!