Alright, I have been won over. I have been practicing the de-fanged form of jiu-jitsu known as judo for quite some time now and always thought it was an effective martial art. But after being bested in tournament after tournament by novices in the devastatingly effective South American art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I decided to buy this book to see what all the fuss was about. I was blown away.

Though it doesn't really include techniques (there are many other books by Royce, Ralph, Renzo, or Cesar that do), it did inspire me with tales of the first family of vale tudo fighting. Each chapter detailing the exploits of a Gracie family member makes me wish I wasn't suffering in this bleak Michigan landscape, but learning from the originators of no holds barred combat in beautiful Brazil.