I’ve now authored more than 1600 of these musings; when you add in what I’ve added on our sports-centric site The Double Overtime the total skyrockets to over 2500. I’m aware that’s more than enough to fill a book; in the opinion of some who have introduced me to the acronym TL;DR that might be enough to fill a library. I’ve also learned that being able to write and publish one is a complex and expensive process that one can’t possibly do alone, and in an era where self-publishing seems to be the default advice but also one where one (hand raised) can barely afford rent and gas that’s not gonna happen any time soon.
So I tend to live vicariously through friends and colleagues who have actually been able to do so; at least a couple of dozen of said musings have focused on them over the years. The latest is one that the maven of the Algonquin Roundtable fresses that have given me at least one regular opportunity to schmooze with actual professionals has just dropped, and it’s as riveting a read as any of them. That’s in part because the subject is even more fascinating than the author–and that’s a high bar. Here’s his Amazon blurb:
A legend is not born in victory—but forged in discipline, danger, and destiny. Set against the vibrant, volatile streets of 1950s Hong Kong, The Adventures of a Young Kung Fu Legend is a sweeping coming-of-age novel inspired by the spirit of martial arts pioneers and the philosophy behind true mastery.
Brad Chi is a gifted teenage martial artist, dancer, and rising film star navigating a world of tradition, temptation, and violence. Trained in the ancient art of Chin Gar Kung Fu, Brad must balance family expectations, cultural upheaval, rival gangs, and his own moral compass as his reputation grows—and enemies begin to circle. Told through the eyes of his younger brother, the novel blends martial arts action, historical fiction, crime drama, and emotional depth, tracing Brad’s journey from talented youth to formidable legend. Along the way, readers are immersed in secret societies, forbidden rivalries, old-world philosophy, and the cost of honor in a rapidly changing world.
I’ve been Kung Fu-curious since my salad days toiling as a junior programming executive for a company that not only advised tv stations what they should buy but also owned a couple of their own, including the first-ever independent station in the state of Arkansas. Few viewers of KLRT Little Rock knew that the upstart locally referenced as “Arkansas’ Own” was being puppeted by three Jews in New York City who rarely even set foot in the city–we used data and the input from our boots-on-the-ground colleagues to counterprogram the generally lazy incumbents. A couple of our North Stars in our strategic planning were the facts that a disproportionate number of available viewers were Black and that said audience segment disproporationately made up the audience for existing stations that had discovered that kung fu movies were a cheap and effective way to attract them. The real Bruce Lee’s films were box office smashes; when they became available for local stations they were in high demand and carried appropriate price tags. But my team also knew of the existence of a lot of knock offs that came from catalogues such as those from the prominent Hong Kong-based director Sir Run Run Shaw and his disciples, syndicated by upstart distributors that dominated the wild west landscape of an era where independent stations clamoring for such cost-effective content were cropping up all over the country at a dizzying pace. They featured look-alikes with pseudonyms like Bruce Li and Bruce Leung–many general managers would actually say they couldn’t tell the difference and that they were certain their viewers couldn’t, I watched many of the trailers and even a few of the titles that we were considering. I probably wouldn’t have been able to pick the real Lee out of a police lineup, either. 
All I knew was that they got ratings. Our most successful title of all featured a blaxploitation veteran named Jim Kelly who starred in an almost too obviously pandering work called SOUL BROTHERS OF KUNG FU. We deployed it in prime time against the Winter Olympics (not exactly super-popular in Little Rock, quelle surprise) and handily beat our long-entrenched NBC and CBS competitors head-to-head. All of that was not coincidence.
So with that sort of curiosity and motivation I plowed through Block’s inspired story. I then took the liberty of watching him explain his own history and fascination in a breezy discussion with podcaster Marc Hoberman on an episode of his LIFE STORIES. Turns out we have more than just an appreciation for the handful of delis remaining in Los Angeles in common.
And as Block explains in his own words on his website:
When it was first released, martial arts was a relatively obscure genre to much of
the world, rarely seen outside of Asia and seldomly represented in popular media.
But after Lee’s explosive success, it became a fascination for a growing
audience—an international phenomenon that transcended cultures and
generations, sparking a wave of new stars and stories.
Over the years, my own fascination with this genre has only deepened. Martial
arts has always been more than just combat. At its heart, it is a spiritual
journey—a path to discovering inner strength, cultivating self-discipline, and
achieving personal growth. Watching the genre evolve, expanding from a niche
interest to a mainstream force in action-adventure storytelling across movies, TV,
and social media, has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Block notes at several points in the interview that the reviews he’s received to date on ADVENTURES OF A KUNG FU LEGEND have been nothing sort of extraordinary. He’s posted several of them on said website with justifable pride, and his e-mail invitation to our monthly fress contained a humble brag on how he interprets his critical acclaim. It also contained a challenge:
DISCOVER WHO IS THE FIRST IN OUR GROUP TO WIN FREE LUNCH AFTER READING MY NEW NOVEL, ‘ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG KUNG FU LEGEND,” AND POSTING A 5-STAR REVIEW ON AMAZON (ADDING TO OVER A DOZEN, ALL UNANIMOUS IN GIVNG THE HIGHEST RATING POSSIBLE).
Those of you who know me all too well know that when such an opportunity is thrown out I’m close to the front of the line to get it. I can’t quite tell if I’m the first in our group or not; the wording suggests I’m not. That’s OK–fortunately, at the start of a new month I’m a tad more solvent than I am toward the end. Compared to a week ago, my net worth thankfully actually extends into three figures.
My one gentle chide would be that a sample size of “over a dozen” wouldn’t hold much water in the eyes of seasoned researchers. My college statistics course reinforced that the bare minimum for a stable cell size is 25; even Rotten Tomatoes carries such caveats on their crownsourcings.
Well, I was able to do my part to increase that sample size. My review keeps that perfect record intact. And no, the appeal of a possible free lunch was NOT the motivation for it. Not the primary one at least. Here, read for yourself.
Better still, order ADVENTURES OF A KUNG FU LEGEND so we can get closer to making his perfect score statistically significant (hint: there’s a Kindle edition available). 
Order Alex’s best-selling delve into the life of the actual Bruce Lee while you’re at it. There’s probably no free meal awaiting you either, but I can assure you another coupla hours of reading pleasure fer sure.
And please do me a favor? If you’ve happen to have actually written a book yourself, please do share the identity of an editor who might actually be interested in considering my musings for some sort of book of my own? Honestly, the way I eat these days anyway, I could use that way more than even a free lunch.
Until next time…