The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived
I like the way the authors evoked the varied geographical, cultural and historical landscapes in which Maeda lived; and the close-up views of other characters as well as the environments in which important events took place. I learned interesting or striking things, such as the effect that the burning of dung in Kansas had on the start and spread of Spanish flu throughout the world; the book brought the drama and cruelty of the pandemic into close-up view by showing what it did to Maeda and his family. I m impressed by the vast amount of research done by the authors to authenticate the plot and characters; they ve evoked the special world of professional fighting. --E.M. Nathenson, AuthorThanks for the copy of The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived. I enjoyed it VERY much. You ve painted such a vivid portrait of Master Maeda hat I truly wish I would have met him. He seems very much like Frank Gotch. They both even died of kidney problems! I thought you were generous with your treatment of both Gotch and Jack Johnson. I think both Gotch and Maeda would have whipped Johnson without much trouble in a mixed match and a Gotch-Maeda showdown would have been the best match in all of history. I m pleased you didn t read too much into the fact that Gotch didn t want to meet with Maeda in Havana. After all, as you pointed out, he was on his honeymoon and in no mood to fight. And he had no idea who Maeda was. --Mike Chapman, AuthorAfter reading The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived, I realized what a superstar Maeda was. He was the true pioneer for today's MMA, and both Bunasawa and Murray did a marvelous job in creating the atmosphere of the times. Being a judoka myself for 30 or so years, I look forward to when Maeda's name is mentioned in the same breath as Bruce Lee. --O. Sam Mitani; International Editor, Road & Track Magazine