Sorry it’s been so long since I have been able to review something, but I jumped in with both feet on this book. As I’ve previously mentioned in my other reviews (all those eons ago), I generally feel that I can categorize martial arts books as instructional, biographical, or philosophical. Even if it Kills Me generally fits into the biographical genre with just enough of a touch of philosophy to keep it interesting.
Even if it Kills Me is the story of Mr. Blair’s return to tae known do as an adult. Without giving too much away, Mr. Blair started tae kwon do as a child, but discontinued his practice prior to achieving his black belt. He moved on to pursue his passion for music, successfully enough to make a career of it. But Mr. Blair never gave up on his desire to reach his black belt goal. Many years later he decided to return to the martial arts. He examined a number of options in his local area. After false starts with various instructors, he eventually settled back with his tae kwon do roots.
The book focuses generally on Mr. Blair’s journey from white to black belt and the challenges that he faces on the way. Generally, the book is set up so that each chapter is devoted to a belt level or a lesson that Mr. Blair learned along the way. I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First, the format of the book is heavily anecdotal, which made it feel like Mr. Blair was telling me his story over a cup of coffee or a beer. It was like sitting and telling sea stories with an old friend. To be honest, it was engaging enough that I read more then half of it in one sitting; something I generally don’t do when it comes to martial arts books. Mr. Blair (who is the bassist for the rock band The Toadies) also shared some stories and insights from his time on tour with the band. This included such highlights as how he trained solo on the road, as well as what happened when he tried to visit other tae kwon do schools for a one-off class while he spent the night in whatever town he happened to be performing in that day.
The second reason that I really enjoyed this book was the tone. I mentioned above that there was a touch of philosophy in this book. During the course of Mr. Blair’s journey, he makes a number of discoveries about his art, his school, and obviously about himself as a martial artist and a person. As the book progresses and his journey continues, Mr. Blair shares these thoughts and discoveries, in what seems to be almost a journal-like format in certain parts. Yet, although Mr. Blair makes judgements about certain things, including his school, it never feels preachy or judgmental, and I never felt that I was being talked at. It literally feels like Mr. Blair is sharing his thought process with us in a way that was both engaging, and natural, yet not blasé. I found myself examining myself and my training without even realizing it at times. For me at least, this unexpected self-examination alone was worth the price of admission.
Now this book may not be for everyone. As a matter of full disclosure, I am someone who is very close to forty myself and just tested for my black belt in tae kwon do after returning to the art after a twenty-year absence. Based on this, I am certainly someone who resonated a lot with Mr. Blair, as we at similar phases in our life. I am clearly the target audience for this book. People who may not be at this stage in their martial arts (or life) journey may not find the same level of introspection that I did, and may see this more as just a collection of stories of someone who is training and happens to go on tour, which is totally fair and also a very valid interpretation of this book. Even if that is the case, I would still recommend it as an enjoyable read.
Some people may even feel that some of Mr. Blair’s opinions on certain things may be a bit harsh, or not agree with some of the decision he has made. But they are Mr. Blair’s opinions, and even if you as a reader don’t agree with them, you can still get something valuable from this book. Even if it is just an insight as to one tae kwon do practitioner’s story. At the end of the day, this book is about how one man came back to complete a journey he started in his childhood to reach a goal that he had set for himself years ago. In my opinion, that alone is a worthy story to hear.
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