Breathe: A Life in Flow
From legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA master Rickson Gracie comes a riveting, insightful memoir that weaves together the story of Gracie’s stunning career with the larger history of the Gracie family dynasty, showing how the connection between mind and body can be harnessed for success both inside and outside the ring.
Undefeated from the late 1970s through his final fight in the Tokyo Dome in 2000, Rickson Gracie amassed hundreds of victories in the street, on the mat, at the beach, and in the ring. He has joined the pantheon that includes Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Jackie Chan as one of the most famous martial artists of the twentieth century. Jiu-Jitsu, the fighting style developed and pioneered by his family, has become one of the world’s most prominent martial arts, and Vale Tudo, the “anything goes” style of Brazilian street fighting over which the Gracies had a monopoly, was an early precursor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Simply put, without the Gracie family, there would be no sport of ‘MMA’, no 4-billion-dollar UFC empire, and no ‘Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’ at strip malls all across America.
In Breathe, for the first time, Rickson will share the full story of how his father and uncles came to develop Jiu-Jitsu, what it was like to grow up among several generations of world-renowned fighters from the Gracie clan, and the principles and skills that guided him to his undefeated record. From learning to assert himself on the streets of Rio to gaining fame and honour in Japan and emerging through heartbreaking tragedy, the martial arts master shares tales of overcoming challenges, extolling universal virtues and showing readers how pride and ego are the enemies of success. With never-before-seen photos and profound insights into the sport and way of life that only a studied legend can provide, Breathe is an entertaining and magnified view of an enduring legacy as well as an inspiring tale of weathering life’s complexities and overcoming them with style and grace.
BEST DEALS
About the Author
Peter Maguire is the author of Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade, Law and War, and Facing Death in Cambodia.
Peter is a historian and former war-crimes investigator whose writings have been published in the International Herald Tribune, New York Times, The Independent, Newsday, and Boston Globe. He has taught law and war theory at Columbia University and Bard College.
Watch interviews and videos with Peter:
Peter speaks about his book, Facing Death in Cambodia on CSPAN Book TV: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/FacingD
The Origins of the Cambodia War Crimes Tribunal: http://vimeo.com/28287579
Interview with Radio Australia: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asia/the-therapeutic-legalism-of-cambodias-war-crimes-tribunal/1105808
Interview from the film "Brother Number One": http://brothernumberone.co.nz/cambodianhistory
Interview with France 24: http://www.france24.com/en/20090217-landmark-khmer-rouge-trial-continues-
Interview on the origins of Mixed Martial Arts: http://archive.org/details/NoHoldsBarredPeterMaguireAndJohnPerrettiOnTheRealOriginOfMixed
Article about John Danaher: The Professor is The Madman: http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/the-professor-is-the-madman-5714/
Article about Strategic Legalism as defined in Peter's book, Law and War: An American Story: http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/strategic-legalism
2001 Interview about Peter's book Law and War: An American Story: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/law-and-war-century-hypocrisy-and-ambivalence