Author & Narrator: Ralph Macchio
Started: July 29, 2023
Finished: July 31, 2023
Format: Audio
Genre: Memoir
Ralph Macchio is best known as Daniel LaRusso, the bullied newcomer who beats his bully in a karate tournament. Children of the 1980s knew all about Mr. Miyagi and the crank kick. Macchio goes into detail about the long road he took to become Daniel and he devotes a chapter to each of his main characters and their relationships. He also offers insight into how Cobra Kai, the hit Netflix show, came to be and why he feels this is a perfect continuance of the Karate Kid saga.
Ralph Macchio did a great job telling his story of becoming the Karate Kid. While this is not a full memoir, it is a great listen and offers behind the scene accounts of iconic scenes that we all know and love including how the fly was caught in the chopsticks. Throughout the book, Macchio repeats how important Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, was to him and the Karate Kid trilogy. This was a well-told story that was quick to read and well worth the time.