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Everyone knows Jackie Chan. Whether it's from Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, The Karate Kid, or Kung Fu Panda, Jackie is admired by generations of moviegoers for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and mind-bending stunts. In 2016—after fifty-six years in the industry, over 200 films, and many broken bones—he received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement in film. But at 64 years-old, Jackie is just getting started.
Now, in Never Grow Up, the global superstar reflects on his early life, including his childhood years at the China Drama Academy (in which he was enrolled at the age of six), his big breaks (and setbacks) in Hong Kong and Hollywood, his numerous brushes with death (both on and off film sets), and his life as a husband and father (which has been, admittedly and regrettably, imperfect).
Jackie has never shied away from his mistakes. Since The Young Master in 1980, Jackie's films have ended with a bloopers reel in which he stumbles over his lines, misses his mark, or crashes to the ground in a stunt gone south. In Never Grow Up, Jackie applies the same spirit of openness to his life, proving time and time again why he's beloved the world over: he's honest, funny, kind, brave beyond reckoning and—after all this time—still young at heart.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
December 4, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781508267522
- File size: 275918 KB
- Duration: 09:34:49
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 22, 2018
This autobiography from action movie superstar Chan is not unlike a blockbuster film from Chan’s native Hong Kong: occasionally cheesy, sometimes questionable in quality, but undeniably fun. Born in 1954, Chan began appearing in martial arts films before
the age of 10. Though his career proceeded by fits and starts, he found major stardom by the late 1970s and has appeared in more than 200 films. This book is marked by functional prose, a shambolic structure, and several sections (such as on Chan’s love of red wine, or his restoration of old Chinese homes) that go nowhere. Fortunately, Chan’s tone is winningly upbeat, and the pleasure he takes in his own success story is infectious. The author doesn’t hide his personal flaws, admitting to acting arrogantly when he first found fame, and in subsequent years to having been an insensitive and unfaithful husband. Despite the title, the book shows him eventually maturing into a person newly respectful and considerate toward his family and friends, even as he continues to make action films well into his 60s. This book isn’t going to win any awards, but like Jackie Chan himself, it provides a heck of a lot of entertainment. -
Daxing Zhang beautifully narrates this candid in-depth biography, translated from Chinese, of martial arts master and actor Jackie Chan. Zhang's Chinese inflections sound natural and bring pathos to the story, which is moving and personal. The work explores Chan's strengths and weaknesses, as well as his foibles such as spending lavishly and gambling to excess. Career breaks and setbacks are recounted with identical passion, though detail is at times excessive, for example, accounts of specific obsessive fans. Brief behind-the-scenes stories are narrated by the energetic Jennifer Lim, whose sudden appearances peppered throughout the audiobook can be jarring as they differ so much in tone from Zhang's presence. This is a fascinating life story that may be a bit too lengthy. But it's likely that fans will immensely enjoy it. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
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