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talestoldtall's review
4.0
I nearly put it down after some particularly eye roll inducing pseudo spirituality. There's a lot of that. And this is objectively a poorly laid out book. There are full page quotes, chapters that start with two quotes from two different sources, a small chapter of only rap verse, and some references that are only explained near the end of the book thrown together into an odd structure.
Yet I still couldn't put this one down.
It's unmistakeably written in the RZA's voice. You can hear it. And there are enough interesting anecdotes about his life, chess, creating art, the formation and rise of the Wu Tang Clan, martial arts, nuggets of wisdom and pure insight mixed throughout that make this worth the read for any fan.
Yet I still couldn't put this one down.
It's unmistakeably written in the RZA's voice. You can hear it. And there are enough interesting anecdotes about his life, chess, creating art, the formation and rise of the Wu Tang Clan, martial arts, nuggets of wisdom and pure insight mixed throughout that make this worth the read for any fan.
phonte's review
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Very hodgepodge. Didn't realize RZA is that religious, if you can even call it that. Some interesting points were made in the book but none that kept it together. I more so enjoy it due to the Wu-tang history and not as a self help novel.
man_in_chair's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
one of the most important books
lenorasay's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
So good. So so so good especially if you’re in a place of reflection in your own life
grahamcifelli's review
3.0
Some interesting thoughts and inside knowledge of Wu but it's caked with so much psuedoscientific bull shit and rambling it's hard to find. Numerology inspired some eyerolls but hearing about how the clan went from highschoolers drinking 40s and playing chess to super stars is great. Listen to 36 Chambers and ODB.
durdahawk's review
5.0
Quick read that is incredibly poignant, yet humble. The RZA does a great job explaining the highs and lows of his life and how it was integral to his spiritual journey.
ebonyutley's review
2.0
RZA’s book is chaotic. There’s no table of contents. The random meditations, life lessons, and stories seem misplaced. His life chronology is jumbled up and difficult to follow. The pillars of wisdom aren’t parallel and they’re hard to apply. The Tao of Wu is like starting in a middle of a conversation. He is God but Allah is greater. He had the knowledge but then he pretended to forget it as his superhero alter ego. He was reborn but still dead. He’s not religious but Islam is the way. The contradictions are not self-serving as much as they’re piecemeal. They make a kind of whole that I’m not used to seeing but am trying to convince myself is still a whole. Then 2/3 of the way through and he talks about the spiritual gift of confusion and I think, maybe that’s the point. There are jewels here—tidbits of knowledge— but the book left me wondering about all the unaddressed contradictions. Again, I think that’s the point. Religion is one contradiction after another. It’s kinda what happens when you describe the indescribable.