These Fists Break Bricks (Revised and Expanded Edition)

By Chris Poggiali

Foreword by RZA

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On Sale: Jun 10, 2025
Page Count: 384 pages
Publisher: Running Press
ISBN-13: 9780762489480

From New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix and film historian Chris Poggiali comes the full story of how kung fu movies came to—and conquered—America in this revised and expanded edition.

When a Hollywood studio released Five Fingers of Death to thrill-seeking Times Square moviegoers in 1973, only a handful of Black and Asian audience members knew the difference between an Iron Fist and an Eagle’s Claw. That changed overnight as Five Fingers kicked off a kung fu craze that would earn millions at the box office, send TV ratings soaring, influence the birth of hip hop, reshape the style of action we see in movies today, and introduce America to some of the biggest Asian stars to ever hit motion picture screens.

These Fists Break Bricks offers a lavishly illustrated exploration of how these high-kicking, brick-breaking movies came to America and raised hell until greed, infomercials, and racist fearmongering shut them down. For the first time, the full—and wild—story is told, including how CIA agents secretly funded karate movies and how The New York Times fabricated a fear campaign about Black “karate gangs,” as well as the history of Black martial arts in America and the onslaught of Bruce Lee imitators after his death.

With a foreword by RZA of the Wu Tang Clan and brand new material on superstars like Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, and Donnie Yen, plus spotlights on unsung performers, film poster artists, and money-laundering film distributors, this revised and expanded edition is a master class in kung fu cinema history.

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Grady Hendrix

About the Author

Grady Hendrix’s writing can be found in Slate, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed Magazine and the upcoming ‘Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination.’ He and Katie Crouch went to high school together and were voted “Wittiest” in their senior yearbook. They would have preferred ‘Most Likely to Succeed’.

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