The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

5 Starrs fore this book. Shael shuld knot fighte anymor. Shael shuld keepe beeing awthor. Grate book that my friends Nog, Seagal, and Soares luved. Seagal read it to us befour he tuck us in. That booke dosen't half enof pectures though. Shael keep righting and no fighteing. Leaf Spyder Silva a loan. Let he kept his belte pleeze.

This book begins and ends better than any MMA book I've read, and I've read most of them. Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of very interesting and hilarious material in the center of this book, such as Chael dealing with athletic commissions, federal agents, and other personal stories, but the first 10,000 words and the last 10,000 words really take you into the life of a professional fighter. It shows you the ups, the downs, and the personal battles a fighter has to go through. Even more so, it shows you what it takes to be a fighter. They force you to dive into the mind of a very experienced fighter, and while parts are extremely funny, it shows you something that you never see on TV or hear in interviews. It shows you the crazy, almost maddening battle they go through on a day by day basis. After reading this book, I realize that only a very select portion of people have what it takes to be a fighter. Sure, there is the fame and the thrill of stepping into the cage in front of millions of people, but I now realize there is so much more to being a `professional' than what you see on highlight reels. In an almost poetic style, Chael presents the fear, the doubt, the absolute terror guys like him go through every time they step into the cage, and he shows how they (or at least him) deals with those emotions. At many points in these chapters I actually got the chills.

It's quotes like these that dive deep:

An old wrestling coach of mine once told me something brilliant, and it applies to every fight I've won and, sadly, every fight that I've lost: "Chael, you can tell when a guy breaks." And you can, even (nay, especially) when it's you.

----

You're never ready. You prepare. You train. You plan, plot, scheme, connive, accommodate, gather intelligence, float falsehoods to throw your opponent off the trail and identify moles in your own camp, encourage and nurture unholy alliances, sweet-talk sponsors, infuriate your family and friends, grind yourself into a fine powder day in and day out, then reconstitute yourself in the morning with water and hope, like instant mashed potatoes served in the soup kitchen of your mind.

You tell yourself you're ready.

You know you've done the work, but it's not the Angel of Knowledge you need right now; it's another, much more elusive angel in the canon whose intercession you urgently need. The angel we call Belief.

You're never ready.

But, eventually, inevitably, immutably, you're...

Next.

----

Then it's off to the showers, where I begin to experience the inevitable adrenaline dump. It starts as a sense of quiet satisfaction, a kind of counterfit serenity. I use the word "counterfeit" after much reflection and consideration, since I know the few moments of the dump are simply chemically-induced respite from the relentlessness, anxiety, and dissatisfaction that define most of my life, and which defines the lives of fighters in general. The whole Peaceful Warrior/I Consider This a Sport/I Have No Anger act is a complete fraud, a construct; it is as artificial as a Mardi Gras parade float, and just as fragile.

Peaceful people do peaceful work.

Peaceful people dig wells in third-world villages.

Peaceful people become Doctors Without Borders.

Fighters fight for a reason.

So.. wow.

I'll be quite frank, right off the bat. As someone that is more than well aware of Chael and his day-to-day "persona", I figured I might have some misgivings about him writing a book. As luck would have it, I found myself on the receiving end of it irregardless, and was pleased that I took the time to sit down and read it.. in under two days.

You read that right - "in under two days". I'm an admitted bookworm from time to time, but rarely do I plow through a book quite like that... which is to say: This, believe it or not, is a page turner. Where you might expect to be picking up another about-and-sort-of-written-in-the-voice-of-the-athlete book is where you'll end up being wrong. YES, there is Promotional Chael in this book. But above and beyond anything you might expect, there is also reminiscent Chael, sociologist Chael, social media Chael, politician Chael, coach Chael, student Chael, fighter Chael, and most pointedly: Human Chael. But if it's not a "biography", then what is it? I'll not throw around the "manifesto" description, as it's already heavily in rotation, but will simply point out that it is essentially a collection of essays. Thought-out observations, if you will. A look inside the mind of a man that normally spends his time showing a caricature of himself rather than his inner monologue? Yes, absolutely.

Sparing an extensive chapter-by-chapter review here (you should probably just buy the book, eh?), I'll say this: MMA fans will certainly enjoy their time spent reading this book. Non-MMA fans will enjoy it just as much (and maybe even more than?) the diehard fans. At the end of the day, "Voice of Reason" is a hilariously fun and interesting read that (surprisingly) has something for everyone. Of note: If you ARE looking for a book SOLELY about the man himself, you won't find it here. While there are many Chael-based insights, stories, memories, and a little history, the bulk of the book is in the light of social/political/musical commentary from the man himself. Also of note: Every bit of said commentary is well thought out, well written, entertainingly presented, and worth the read.

All of this to say: I'll recommend this book to anyone (and after reading a chapter and a half of it out loud to my father visiting from out of town - over dinner, at that - I'll admit that it was so much more than I expected it to be) looking for a good read, as well as to EVERYONE involved or interested in the MMA community.

Oh, and Aerosmith & Metallica being two of not only the most played-out, but most fraudulent bands of all time? Turns out, I do agree with Mr. Chael P. every now and again. ;)