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Inside U: How to Become a Master of Your Own Destiny | 
 enlarge | Authors: Byong Yu, Tom Bleecker
Publisher: Hay House
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1252093
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 183
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 140190212X
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.8092
EAN: 9781401902124
ASIN: 140190212X
Publication Date: August 2004
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Book Description
Inside U is an incredibly moving, engrossing, and almost-mythological tale of how one man endured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout his extraordinary life. Born into Japanese-occupied Korea, young Byong Yu was diagnosed as developmentally retarded. Convinced that he would become a burden to his family, doctors told his parents to put him in a corner of the room and let him die. Consequently, survival was an instinct that he honed at a very early age. Byong was known to the village as "Ugly Boy," yet he refused to give up. His destiny led him to a wise and gifted martial-arts master who agreed to accept him as a student. In the years that followed, Byong used the profound wisdom instilled in him by his master to triumph through the Korean War, years of poverty, and homelessness. After emigrating to the United States, Byong struggled to live the American dream, but a tragedy that drove him to the brink of suicide almost shattered his spirit once and for all. However, in the long and arduous process of rebuilding his life, he managed to become a martial-arts legend—one who now trains some of Hollywood's elite. This is Byong Yu's story, but even more important, it's a guidebook to discovering your true path—whatever that may be—and conquering any obstacle that stands in your way. As Master Yu says, "I have triumphed over countless obstacles that I have faced in my lifetime. Yet through it all, I have managed to fulfill my destiny and come to intimately discover who and what I am. And if I can do it, so can you!"
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 A Good Autobiography April 28, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Byong Yu is a name martial arts historians will recognize from the late 1960's and 70's--he was a well respected competitor in American point and contact karate tournaments. Here Yu tells his life's story from his birth in Japan-occupied Korea, growing up with a childhood disability that hindered his coordination (he didn't speak until age 5) and nearly got him abandoned by his mother. He describes how he learned focus, found a taekwondo teacher, joined the South Korean Army at age 15 to fight North Korea, trained as a medic, lost a brother in the Korean War, and returned home to teach taekwondo in Sin Kil Dong, a village outside Seoul.
Byong Yu describes some of the politics of taekwondo in Korea, and is honest about some of the problems associated with martial arts and the individual. He is continually examining his own tendancy towards violence and the authoritarian model of the martial arts teacher, writing:
"By the time I reached the age of 20, such worship turned out to be a double edged sword. With more than 5,000 students under my control, I was a powerful person in the Seoul martial arts community. Because so many people were treating me as if I were an ancient emperor, I began to act like a dictator. My martial arts had become unbalanced due to youth and pride." (page 47)
Yu relates his abusive nature, describing an incident where his Master Ko sent him to a rural village to test six students of the teacher there. Disgusted at the size of the humble school in the back of the local market, Yu used his position as a highly ranked teacher to heap physical abuse on the students, destroy a 50-lb sack of rice by kicking through it, and also kicking out a post holding up part of the market's roof. When he returned and tried to justify his rudeness to Master Ko, he was sent on a teaching "Mission" to another rural village, where he is told to establish a school.
While the hardships Yu describes going through trying to gain students in this little town convey an important lesson, I had difficulty believing that he as a stranger could move in to a "...communal farming village where everyone paid a lot of attention to the singing birds and blossoming flowers" and get a people who were "...totally opposed to violence..." where he knew absolutely no-one, to study a pugalistic discipline. Yu is describing a traditional Korean Rural village where everyone knows each other and the families have been there for hundreds of years. Even more incredible in this setting is Yu's claim that at the end of the chapter that he had over 60 students including the Elderly (!). Small wonder he does not refer to this "village" by name. (page 52-55)
On the other hand, Yu's description coming to America to start a new life (starting with Chapter 6) has the ring of truth. In Korea, he is a respected martial arts Champion and a Graduate of Korea University. He decides to travel to the U.S. to teach taekwondo. Yu describes the shame and confusion he felt not knowing enough English to do basic things, how after his arrival in the United States, through his own lack of understanding he fast became homeless and penniless. Particularely interesting was his initial perception of America as a sort of paradise, and the dawning realization that it would take a lot of effort to survive. His story really could be that of a lot of immigrants who put their hearts into learning the language, going to school, and working--making themselves part of America. Once settled and enrolled at UC Berkely, Yu keeps up a hectic schedule of going to school, teaching taekwondo, and then working as a dishwasher at Denny's. Sleep is precious an rare, and like many students (now as then), he survives mainly on a stately diet of Top Ramen.
Another particularely interesting account is his association with Taekwondo teacher Kang Myung-kyu of Sacramento, who is referred to as "Master K". Kang is Yu's senior and was one of his teachers in Korea. Evidently, it was customary for established "Masters" to use newcomers such as Yu as virtual slave labor. Kang lavishes $300.00 dinners on the sons of friends back in Korea, and pays his 6 Korean instructors $5.00 -- FIVE DOLLARS! a month. The account of Yu's confrontation with and departure from Kang on pages 83-85 is rare in print and a must-read. Such things are generally hidden among Korean Immigrants.
Byong Yu's story is worth reading. Although I didn't care for the "self-help" applications in the second part of the book, they do include personal anecdotes. For the life of me I can't figure out why on earth this book was marketed as "self-help". My biggest complaint is that in trying to get this autobiography to fit into the self-help mold, and including all of the student testemonies on the cover, it seems the volume has something of an identity crisis. Yu's honest autobiography is enough of a sell without having to repackage and gussy up this volume. It also would have been nice to see pictures of Master Ko, or training in the "early days" in Korea in the photo section and fewer celebrity buddy shots. I bought this book because I wan interested in reading about the experiences of a Korean Immigrant and martial artist, not because he had his picture taken with Steven Segal or Chuck Norris.
 Great man - Great Master - Great book October 26, 2004
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am lucky enough to have Master Yu as my master. So my review is biased. But all I can say is that he is the real deal. He still trains with his black belts and we have trouble keeping up with him most of the time.
In his book he is brave enough to show how though he is a 9th Degree Grand Master he can have foibles and weaknesses like all the rest of us - but still grow and become a better person despite his weaknesses. He doesn't pretend to be a guru or Buddha. He has had life struggles like every average person.
Just today Master Yu got this e-mail from this person who read his book (I will exclude their name so that they may remain anonymous)...
Master Yu,
I just finished reading your book and was completely inspired by your story. I am a 25 year old recovering alcoholic in my first month of sobriety and it has been extremely tough. Your story has really motivated me to continue on my path of becoming a better, stronger person. I have also been inspired to take up Tae Kwan Do. I really believe that it will strengthen me on my path to sobriety. Thank you so much for your time. You really have no idea how much your book has meant to me. Take care.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Master Yu just smiles when he gets a note or e-mail like this.
 ignore the biased reviews July 20, 2004
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
If you want to read a great story then buy this book. The way the author's life story is told is wonderful. However, as a supposed "self-help" book I have several problems with it. The author is amazingly gifted at gaining pity for himself. But, the inconsistency of his stories as he repeats them throughout the book (and he repeats things often) seems to prove that he is exaggerating or fabricating much of it. He suggests that his lessons learned in life can help the reader to become a better person, but after reading the book twice, I realized that this is coming from the mind of an extremely twisted and viscious individual. Yes, it is entertaining. But is it something that will inspire me to become a better person? I think not. He admits to brutally murdering his master's pet monkey because the monkey stole a rice cake from him. He shows little remorse for this act. In fact, I think he mainly wrote this book just to air out some of the guilt he has built up in his long and mistake-filled life. He then explains how he murdered a man who challenged him. He seems to brag about how he "just can't control his anger when he tastes his own blood"... he brags about being called the "killer korean"... then he says that the reader must develop the softer "yin" side of their personality. This book is chock full of ambiguities, hypocrisies and warped perspectives. Go ahead and read it, you won't believe how many contradictions glare out at you. As far as entertainment goes, this is a good read, worthy of 5 stars. But since it is marketed as a self-help book by a person who supposedly had such a hard life, I only give it 2 stars. He claims to be a role-model. I wouldn't want my children emulating him. The book is entertaining but, like many books, written primarily for the reason of grinding an axe. The added bonus is, unlike many books, he uses this public format to try to relieve the guilt of a truly erroneous life. Too bad Bill Clinton didn't take this approach when writing his book, wow... everyone would have loved to read a book like that! It's funny, one of the many contradictions included in this book is how the author condemns Americans for such shallow aspirations like winning trophies or being associated with famous stars. And there he is, right in this book, a photo of him smiling from ear to ear with all his trophies, so proud, and all sorts of photos of him proudly smiling with celebrities like Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris. Actually, all his trophies don't impress me much. And, to be honest, Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris do not look so happy to be photographed with "the korean killer". Sad thing is, the author has no idea of just how poor of an "example" he really is. He tells you about how great he is and how much he has done for his art, funny that I never heard of him before reading this book. Now I just hope I can forget about him.
A Psychological Perspective September 18, 2003
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a psychologist, I like to find books for my patients that will inspire and educate them. Grandmaster Yu's book serves all of us well. He shows us that we can overcome great psychological shortcomings. That we can heal ourselves. This is valuable, he gives us all hope. And we discover some survival secrets of martial artists, which provide the smarts and encouragement necessary to get into the game of life and win.
a great man September 15, 2003
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have been lucky in that Grand master Yu has tested me for every rank of my Tae kwon do yong do won belts i hope to be tested for my black next, for the last ten years i have often heard him speak to us.
all his talks where nothing short of moving
and i am honest when i say this man almost has a sixth sense when it comes to reading your soul
i have never been able to hide my weaknesses from him
a truely moving man
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