The book Carlos Gracie – The Creator of a Dynasty,which was published in Brazil only in Portuguese, was written by the daughter of the late master, Reila Gracie (Roger Gracie’s mother). The book was finally released in English at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, on the 18th and 19th of October 2014 in Long Beach, California, USA and is also being sold through Budovideos.
The goal of the book was to show the other side of the story about the Gracie family. Up to now, Rorion’s side had told the World that Grandmaster Helio was the one who changed and improved Jiu-Jitsu by introducing leverage. The book created quite a controversy in Brazil in the BJJ community.
Budo Jake from Budovideos recently had the pleasure to sit down with the author Reila Gracie and ask a few questions regarding the book. Reila explained that her goal was to show Carlos’s side of the story:
“Budo Jake: Why did you feel the need to write this book?
Reila Gracie: The Gracie family has an immeasurable importance in Brazilian sports culture. I am not aware of any other family in the world that has been able to maintain a professional tradition in sports or martial arts for nearly a century, reaching 4 generations. And the creator of this dynasty of fighters is Carlos Gracie, my father.
When the UFC revealed to the world the technical efficiency of jiu-jitsu developed by the Gracies, Carlos was said to to be the guru and nutritionist of the family, thus eliminating his importance in the history of jiu-jitsu. Like him, other champions of my family were also virtually excluded: my brothers Rolls and Carlson, for example.
I could not bear this historical manipulation and saw that the only way to fix it would be doing thorough research and writing a book about the life of my father, revealing how it actually happened and the importance that each had in building this dynasty of Gracie fighters.
Budo Jake: Of all of the information you found out what surprised you the most?
Reila: As I had the story mapped out in my mind, the information found in the research were filling in gaps like a puzzle, but still there were some surprises. The volume of publications found in the papers of the 1930s, about my father and his brothers, was one of them. Mainly they detailed the role he, Carlos Gracie, played in the careers of his brothers and the Brazilianization process of jiu-jitsu.
And also they revealed the role of Uncle George as a fighter. All newspaper clippings, filed for 40 years at the academy of my father, the academy Gracie, stayed with uncle Helio, who then donated them to Rorion, my cousin. Before my book only Uncle Helio appeared.
Another surprise was to have found correspondence of my mother when she was in Peru. She had already given me the correspondence between my father, his partner Oscar, uncle Helio and aunt Margarida, but I could only get the information after her death. These documents helped me better understand the role of my father in the formation of the clan and how it related to life.
Budo Jake: Did your opinion of your father change after completing your research? If so, how?
Reila: I came to admire him more, because I understood better the way the family members think and act and the greatness of their purposes and accomplishments. I never viewed my father as a myth or guru but as a man capable of trial and error.
His greatness is exactly the census of humanity, revealed by a prospective ability to think and act for the collective so comprehensive that only exceptional people possess.
