I am lucky enough to have Master Yu as my master. So my review is biased. But all I can say is that he is the real deal. He still trains with his black belts and we have trouble keeping up with him most of the time.

In his book he is brave enough to show how though he is a 9th Degree Grand Master he can have foibles and weaknesses like all the rest of us - but still grow and become a better person despite his weaknesses. He doesn't pretend to be a guru or Buddha. He has had life struggles like every average person.

Just today Master Yu got this e-mail from this person who read his book (I will exclude their name so that they may remain anonymous)...

Master Yu,
I just finished reading your book and was completely inspired by your story. I am a 25 year old recovering alcoholic in my first month of sobriety and it has been extremely tough. Your story has really motivated me to continue on my path of becoming a better, stronger person. I have also been inspired to take up Tae Kwan Do. I really believe that it will strengthen me on my path to sobriety. Thank you so much for your time. You really have no idea how much your book has meant to me. Take care.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx

Master Yu just smiles when he gets a note or e-mail like this.

If you want to read a great story then buy this book. The way the author's life story is told is wonderful. However, as a supposed "self-help" book I have several problems with it. The author is amazingly gifted at gaining pity for himself. But, the inconsistency of his stories as he repeats them throughout the book (and he repeats things often) seems to prove that he is exaggerating or fabricating much of it. He suggests that his lessons learned in life can help the reader to become a better person, but after reading the book twice, I realized that this is coming from the mind of an extremely twisted and viscious individual. Yes, it is entertaining. But is it something that will inspire me to become a better person? I think not. He admits to brutally murdering his master's pet monkey because the monkey stole a rice cake from him. He shows little remorse for this act. In fact, I think he mainly wrote this book just to air out some of the guilt he has built up in his long and mistake-filled life. He then explains how he murdered a man who challenged him. He seems to brag about how he "just can't control his anger when he tastes his own blood"... he brags about being called the "killer korean"... then he says that the reader must develop the softer "yin" side of their personality. This book is chock full of ambiguities, hypocrisies and warped perspectives. Go ahead and read it, you won't believe how many contradictions glare out at you. As far as entertainment goes, this is a good read, worthy of 5 stars. But since it is marketed as a self-help book by a person who supposedly had such a hard life, I only give it 2 stars. He claims to be a role-model. I wouldn't want my children emulating him. The book is entertaining but, like many books, written primarily for the reason of grinding an axe. The added bonus is, unlike many books, he uses this public format to try to relieve the guilt of a truly erroneous life. Too bad Bill Clinton didn't take this approach when writing his book, wow... everyone would have loved to read a book like that! It's funny, one of the many contradictions included in this book is how the author condemns Americans for such shallow aspirations like winning trophies or being associated with famous stars. And there he is, right in this book, a photo of him smiling from ear to ear with all his trophies, so proud, and all sorts of photos of him proudly smiling with celebrities like Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris. Actually, all his trophies don't impress me much. And, to be honest, Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris do not look so happy to be photographed with "the korean killer". Sad thing is, the author has no idea of just how poor of an "example" he really is. He tells you about how great he is and how much he has done for his art, funny that I never heard of him before reading this book. Now I just hope I can forget about him.