I Am Jackie Chan

By: Jackie Chan

Narrated by: Daxing Zhang

Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

In you are fan of action-adventure movies with the accent on action-then you no doubt love watching Jackie Chan risk his life to create sensational cinema. As one of the biggest stars to burst into U.S. theaters, Jackie has put America's hottest heroes to shame, wowing audiences with the breathless, death-defying stunts that are the highlight of such movies as Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop, Operation: Condor, and his newest blockbuster Rush Hour. But who really is the boyishly handsome, lightening-fast Charlie Chaplin of martial arts movie making?

I Am Jackie Chan is the fascinating, harrowing, ultimately triumphant story of his life: How the rebellious son of refugees in tumultuous 1950s Hong Kong became the disciplined disciple of a Chinese Opera Master. How the "paradise" that young Jackie so eagerly embraced proved to be, in reality, a ruthlessly competitive place. How the dying art of Chinese opera led Jackie to the movie business-and how he made the leap from stunt man to superstar. Finally, after years of plunging off skyscrapers and living to tell the tale, Jackie Chan proves with this poignant, witty, and often astonishing memoir that it's always been a tale worth telling.

©1998 Jackie Chan (P)1998 Dove Audio, 2016 Phoenix Books

read the book

this is the abridged version. while it's good, the full story is much better. read the book

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Profound in simple honesty

A wonderful tale of the human heart and intentions. After all his evolutions his last film foreigner stamped the period in the showmanship of a master. Master not by the extent of unreachable uniqueness, but the canvas of human life. Wonderful realization that my childhood hero is even greater so when I hear from my adult self. Incredible

An interesting life story

A memorable begin of an action movie legend. This book tell the story of Jackie Chan's training in the arts for the Chinese opera, and how his career took off as an action movie. He gives insight of the courage he gained, and the struggles he faced.

A good listen, a great story

What did you love best about I Am Jackie Chan?

Just finished listening to "I am Jackie Chan", the abridged audiobook version of Chan's autobiography. It's missing some of my favorite stories from the much re-read version that has had its place on my shelves for so long, but it was still a good listen. I'd become a fan of Chan's movies after having been introduced to them by a friend with a passion for martial arts and Chinese cinema. Chan was more accessible than Bruce Lee, with a sense of humor that came through in and complimented his over the top stunt work. There were actors in Hong Kong Cinema who made me laugh more, or who were better fighters, or were telling better stories, but there was something about Chan's silliness that almost always made me happy to spend a few hours watching a man fall down a building or run up a wall. And he really was, at that point in his career, falling down buildings, risking death to get a laugh. That was part of the deal he made with his audience. I've never liked his Hollywood films, but his work in HK even today often has a bit of magic. I'll still watch.There are lessons to be found looking at any life, most of them reminders of things we already know, but then learning often requires review of old information so as to link to new. "I am Jackie Chan" isn't a great book. Chan shares few deep insights about his extraordinary path, or the amazing people he met along the way. But it has been an extraordinary path. I still enjoyed glancing down along it. The hard copy versions are highly recommended. The audiobook version is a pleasant listen. Daxing Zhang's reading shows personality and a fondness for the material, and I'm glad I took the time to hear this story again.

VERY abridged compared to print, still very good.

I own the paperback version of this book and love it. I'm a big fan of Jackie Chan and it had been a decade or so since I read the book, so I downloaded the audio book as a refresher. The narrator (not Jackie) does a great job and the story is still great, it is just missing a LOT of content from the original book. I still like and recommend it, but if you have time to read a book, a recommend the print version over this abridged audio book.

A great read and a fantastic look inside a legend

Great book and inspiring, humbling knowing a man can grow from the smallest background. Glad to read about this legend

1999, and perhaps for a younger audience

While I enjoyed the book, it's fairly old, and the stories seem (perhaps) aimed at kids. This makes sense, as in those days there was "Jackie Chan Adventures" on TV (in the early 2000's).

Good read

listened to the store. it was good but felt it is somewhat out of date now. Also more stories about Hollywood would have been more exciting and added to the story

If you are fan

If you are Jackie Chan fan you must listen or read this book. I enjoyed listening!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good but a bit short

Tremendous life story but this abbreviated version has a lot missing. Still well worth a listen.

Best life story

I really enjoyed listening to Jackie chan story and I would highly recommend it 😊

Great story

Lovechild story it told in a way as if yout friend was talking to you wish it was longer but still great