Live as a Man. Die as a Man. Become a Man. (The Way of the Modern Day Samurai)

I really enjoyed this book. I am a long time fan of MMA and of Japanese culture. This book had elements of both and were told in a true first person account of the author's life. Mr. Inoue details his fighting history and his rise to the top of the MMA world. It was written in such a way that I could really understand the commitment and dedication of a great fighter. The insider fight information and background stories were fantastic. I also enjoyed the personal stories and life philosophy that Mr. Inoue discusses. I felt it was very powerful and meaningful for me to share this experience within the pages of this book.

MMA fans, this is a must read. Enson is a legend in the sport, and his perspective on the sport is great. He reviles many secrets about Japanese MMA, that have long been rumored. His personal journey is the most fascinating aspect of the book. Even people who don't know who Enson is, or follow combat sports, will still be entertained. He truly is the modern day samurai.

As a huge fan of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast I heard about this book from there. I bought it before the podcast was even over. Enson comes across as a man with honor and this book is full of interesting stories regarding his life and fighting career. I was entertained the whole read through. The reason I took off a star is because like most people I was distracted by the constant grammatical errors. I am given the impression that there was no proofreading here, and it took away from the story just a bit. But even errors aside they didn't take away much from this book. The genuine and honest way that Enson comes across is refreshing. You get the vibe he is telling it the way it was, and there is no exaggeration. From his scraps outside the ring, his relationships, and his heartbreaking message to his son, this book is a great 360 degree view into the life of a man obsessed with mixed martial arts. He lives and breathes it, even living out of his van while he trained for years. He is a loyal friend and talks frequently about how he would die for his friends and family, and you believe him. A great book if you are a fan of MMA or of people who live the samurai spirit in general. Yamatodamashii!

Awesome person (the author) and awesome book. If you are at all into Martial Arts or the MMA then this is a excellent must read. What this guy went through and came from to what he is and what he is doing today is just an amazing story and journey he continues even today. I say he has only just begun and will leave a impact on this world for sure! Mahalo for all you do Enson! You're quite the inspiration Man!

This book is a great read for anyone who followed early MMA or and current fans. Enson is a polarizing figure and a pioneer that brought us some of the most exciting and memorable fights of MMA's golden years. The book lets you peer though a window into the mind of one of early MMA's most interesting fighters. Enson, having fought in all of the major promotions gives us the fighter's perspective of living/fighting around the world; and some of the behind the scenes details with the nefarious Yakuza bosses that promote shows in Japan. It is a must read for MMA fans.

Kindle Version Review. This is a very interesting book, especially for fans of the MMA of the era of Pride FC, Shooto, and Vale Tudo. The stories are entertaining and Inoue's philosophy is admirable. The reason I give the book 3 stars is that it has an absurd amount of grammatical, spelling,structural and continuity errors. Rarely can you finish a page of this book without noticing an obvious mistake. And trust me, I'm not some nit-picky grammar nerd out to throw a wet blanket on people's work. I don't know, maybe it is nit-picky to care about the use of "where" and "wear", "their" and "there", "holy s***" and "holly s***", closing quotes, paragraphs, and run-on sentences. I know that Inoue is a fighter/businessman and not a writer, and that he authored and self-published this book, but it seems as though Inoue wrote the book, ran spellcheck on the word document, then put the book out for sale. No editing for content continuity or errors has been done. I wouldn't go into an MMA fight without professional advice and training; nor would I publish a book without professional advice and editing. (Obviously it's not the same since you don't stand to be physically harmed by publishing an unedited book, but you get the point of the analogy. If you're new to something, get some assistance from someone with experience.) Pros: - Very entertaining stories from Inoue's life. - Very cool to be able to read Inoue's account of his fights, then be able to go and watch most of them on Youtube. (Be sure to watch the Heath Herring fight.) - Great insight into the Pre-UFC overlord MMA world. Cons: - Unbelievable amount of errors. The continuity errors are probably the worst. It's difficult at times to follow the timeline of the stories. If Inoue would pay an editor a couple dollars to give this book a run-through, it would be a 5 star book. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any MMA fan with a caveat regarding the errors.

Enson's motivation, devotion, outlook, and passion shine through the entire book. I truly found him captivating and recommend this to anyone looking for inspiration. You don't have to be an MMA fan to appreciate or benefit from his book as it focuses on all aspects of his life. Enson shares unique experiences that helped shape and transform him into who he is today. This is a must read!

Cons: -Same criticisim as everyone else: the writing style, the grammar, unclear thoughts, repetitive passages and at times a lack of flow hamper the message and distract the reader. If you are an anal grammar nazi, you will be constantly annoyed and should give this a miss. Pros: -This was clearly not ghost-written (or seemingly proof-read!). You therefore get an unfiltered and unedited version of Enson Inoue, which is sort of the point of an autobiography anyway. Give him a pass on the grammar (he got punched a lot) and enjoy his telling of his story and you'll have a good experience with this book. -The man has lead an interesting life and this is a page-turner. -A great look into the early days of MMA, which were much more edgy than today's version. My highlights were: Sketchy Japanese promotions, run-ins with the Yakuza, Enson's descriptions and impressions of his own fights, his experiences with the Gracies and BJJ in general and glimpses into Enson's crazy life.

A legend and an incredible life story. I highly recommend this book. A tale of growing to be a true warrior.

It is not often that an MMA fighter comes along and really explains the reason that they get into an octagon or ring to fight. Luckily for us Enson Inoue has provided us with an example of this. This book will appeal to both MMA fans and non-MMA fans. Enson provides the MMA fans with a history of his fights and what was happening around the time that they were taking place. What really sets this book apart from others though is the fact that rather than just laying out the events, Enson also includes how his life philosophy of the Yamatodamashii came into being for him. He talks of his formative years in Hawaii and how sports were a dominant force in his life. He then goes on to talk how got into the 'fight business' and how this has had a major impact on his life. His book is written in a clear and easy style and thanks to it's short chapters it keeps a really good and brisk pace. The only niggle I had was there are quite a few typos throughout the book. This can be expected when a writer self-publishes a work. It does however give the book a certain kind of charm, as you know that it is his words and they have not been 'filtered' by a publishing house. You will laugh and maybe even cry when reading this book. Most importantly though, you will come away feeling as if you know how Enson feels and you should gain an even higher level of respect for him.

There was no problem at all, in good condition, i was very happy to book so fast, thanks a lot!!

I bought another book by Inoue back in 2002 in Japan (Real fight,real talk) and although I liked very much, I think this one gives you a better insight at Inoue's life and way of thinking.Looking forward for part 2.