"Water Mirror Echo is a remarkable story of a man, the traditions and communities that created him, and the new worlds he made possible. Like Bruce Lee himself, Jeff Chang is blessed with the vision to see things we do not yet see, thinking and writing with a restless, chasm-crossing, almost prophetic ambition." - Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Stay True: A Memoir
"This book is as celebratory as it is incisive, as it is, at times, heartbreaking. A massive achievement." - Hanif Abdurraqib, National Book Award-winning author of There's Always This Year and A Little Devil in America
A cultural biography, both sweeping and intimate, of the legend Bruce Lee, set against the extraordinary, untold story of the rise of Asian America-from the author of the award-winning classic Can't Stop Won't Stop and one of the finest culture observers of our era.
More than a half-century after his passing, Bruce Lee is as towering a figure to people around the world as ever. On his path to becoming a global icon, he popularized martial arts in the West, became a bridge to people and cultures from the East, and just as he was set to conquer Hollywood once and for all, he died of cerebral edema at age thirty-two. It's no wonder that Bruce Lee's legend has only bloomed in the decades since. Yet, in so many ways, the legend has eclipsed the man.
Forgotten is the stark reality of the baby boy born in segregated San Francisco, who spent his youth in war-ravaged, fight-crazy Hong Kong. Forgotten is the curious teenager who found his way back to America, where he embraced West Coast counterculture and meshed it with the Asian worldviews and philosophies that reared him. Forgotten is the man whose very presence broke barriers and helped shape the idea of what being an Asian in America is, at the very dawn of Asian America.
Water Mirror Echo-a title inspired by Bruce Lee's own way of moving, being and responding to the world-is a page-turning and powerful reminder. At the helm is Jeff Chang, the award-winning author of Can't Stop Won't Stop, whose writing on culture, politics, the arts and music have made him one of the most acclaimed and distinctive voices of our time. In his hands, Bruce Lee's story brims with authenticity.
Now, based on in-depth interviews with Lee's closest intimates, thousands of newly available personal documents, and featuring dozens of gorgeous photographs from the family's archive, Chang achieves the nearly impossible. He reveals the man behind the enduring iconography and stirringly shows Lee's growing fame ushering in something that's turned out to be even more enduring: the creation of Asian America.
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"[A] panoramic biography.... Peppering the narrative with rich historical details and poignant analyses, Chang persuasively argues that Lee's presence on screen helped shape the idea of what it means to be Asian in America. This definitive account cements Chang as a preeminent chronicler of Asian American history." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This expansive biography of an iconic actor doubles as a nuanced history of Asian American empowerment. Chang ... adeptly shows how Lee's magnetism and physical talents, showcased in Enter the Dragon and other beloved action movies, helped spur 'an awakening among racialized minorities.' ... Chang relates these details against a shifting set of crisply depicted backdrops, from 1960s Asian American student activism to the stylistic debates that shaped martial arts during Lee's time. ... A rousing portrait of a charismatic actor who redefined global stardom." - Kirkus Reviews
"I didn't realize what I didn't know about Bruce Lee until I read Jeff Chang's Water Mirror Echo. His portrait of Bruce Lee is epic and deeply personal, recasting this icon as a flawed yet empowering figure who seismically changed Asian America. Chang updates and imbricates Lee's complicated life within America's history of racism, giving new depth to the man, the community, and the world he helped to change. Water Mirror Echo is a revelation and a stunning accomplishment." - Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
"Water Mirror Echo thrives not just as an ode, or a tome of cultural appreciation, but also as a rich analysis of the history within, and the landscape upon which a cultural icon can be formed, can be shaped, can be beloved. This book is as celebratory as it is incisive, as it is, at times, heartbreaking. A massive achievement." - Hanif Abdurraqib, National Book Award-winning author of There's Always This Year and A Little Devil in America
"Water Mirror Echo is a remarkable story of a man, the traditions and communities that created him, and the new worlds he made possible. Like Bruce Lee himself, Jeff Chang is blessed with the vision to see things we do not yet see, thinking and writing with a restless, chasm-crossing, almost prophetic ambition." - Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Stay True: A Memoir
"Jeff Chang's singular gift is his ability to balance intimacy and grandeur - to tell the story of a movement, a nation, a generation simply by telling the story of a man. Precise, incisive, thoughtful and compassionate, he is the most important cultural historian of our time, and Water Mirror Echo is a brilliant addition to his corpus." - Adam Mansbach, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Golem of Brooklyn and Go the F*ck to Sleep
"In Water Mirror Echo, Jeff Chang crafts a deeply intimate yet expansive portrait of Bruce Lee, seamlessly blending personal narrative with the larger-than-life impact of Lee's legacy. Chang delves into the private struggles and quiet moments of Lee's life, capturing the man behind the myth while also exploring how his extraordinary journey shaped the Asian American experience. With heartfelt nuance, the book reveals Lee's lasting influence, not only as a cultural icon but as a symbol of resilience, pride, and the fight for identity in a complex world."
- Bao Nguyen, filmmaker and director of Be Water
"With the number of words written about him, Bruce Lee is up there with the likes of Jesus Christ and Muhammad Ali. And keeping all those words and perspectives about Bruce in mind, Jeff Chang has done the impossible. He has found something new to say about Bruce Lee. And in the process he has gone deeper than all the rest. Jeff Chang has written the definitive biography of Bruce Lee." - W. Kamau Bell, Peabody- and Emmy-award winning television producer, stand-up comedian, and co-author of Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book
"Chang has masterfully crafted a riveting, nuanced and complex portrait of an icon. He tracks Bruce Lee's remarkable journey as a charismatic child star turned delinquent teen fighter in Hong Kong, to his lonely and humbling exile to America. Chang not only offers one of the most powerful and thoroughly human looks at the flawed but vulnerable man behind the myth, but of an America that continues to question our right as Asian Americans simply to exist in this country." - Olivia Cheng, actor and star of Bruce Lee's Warrior
"Chang, a hip-hop scholar ("Can't Stop Won't Stop") and activist, places his subject in the context of Asian American identity and pride. Tracing Lee's journey from youth in Hong Kong to his rise to Western stardom to his death at the age of 32, Chang reveals both the global icon and the complex human being who helped put martial arts on the American map." - Los Angeles Times in its "30 Must-Read Books for Summer" Round-up
Jeff Chang's first book, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, was named one of the best American nonfiction books of the last quarter century. He has been a USA Ford Fellow in Literature and, among numerous other honors, has won the American Book Award and the Asian American Literary Award. Chang has written three other acclaimed bestsellers on American history and culture, music, and the arts. In May 2019, he and director Bao Nguyen created a four-episode digital series adaptation of his award-winning book We Gon' Be Alright for PBS Indie Lens Storycast. Chang was featured in Nguyen's ESPN Bruce Lee documentary, Be Water; the PBS series, Asian Americans; and Lisa Ling's CNN series, This Is Life.
