Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me
- Downloads：2683
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-27 09:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ralph Macchio
- ISBN：0593185838
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Since The Karate Kid first crane-kicked its way into the pop culture stratosphere in June 1984， there hasn't been a week Ralph Macchio hasn't heard friendly shouts of "Wax on， wax off" or "Sweep the leg！" Now， with Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in the #1 ranked Netflix show Cobra Kai， he is finally ready to look back at this classic movie and give the fans something they've long craved。
The book will be Ralph Macchio's celebratory reflection on the legacy of The Karate Kid in film， pop culture， and his own life。 It will be a comprehensive look at a film that shaped him as much as it influenced the world。 Macchio will share an insider's perspective of the untold story behind his starring role--the innocence of the early days， the audition process， and the filmmaking experience--as well as take readers through the birth of some of the film's most iconic moments。
Ultimately， the book centers on the film itself， focusing on the reason that the characters and themes have endured in such a powerful way and how these personal experiences have impacted Macchio's life。 It will bring readers back to the day they met Daniel LaRusso and Mr。 Miyagi for the first time， but will also provide a fascinating lens into how our pasts shape all of us and how the past can come back to enrich one's life in surprising and wonderful ways。
The book will be Ralph Macchio's celebratory reflection on the legacy of The Karate Kid in film， pop culture， and his own life。 It will be a comprehensive look at a film that shaped him as much as it influenced the world。 Macchio will share an insider's perspective of the untold story behind his starring role--the innocence of the early days， the audition process， and the filmmaking experience--as well as take readers through the birth of some of the film's most iconic moments。
Ultimately， the book centers on the film itself， focusing on the reason that the characters and themes have endured in such a powerful way and how these personal experiences have impacted Macchio's life。 It will bring readers back to the day they met Daniel LaRusso and Mr。 Miyagi for the first time， but will also provide a fascinating lens into how our pasts shape all of us and how the past can come back to enrich one's life in surprising and wonderful ways。
Reviews
Lindsay Wilcox
，
I bought “The Karate Kid” after seeing a kid dressed in the iconic shower curtain costume for Halloween and listening to this book。 It feels like the universe is trying to remind me how much I loved that film — but I still have zero interest in Cobra Kai （I’m far more interested in Mr。 Miyagi and Daniel than in karate rivalries and back stories）。There is nothing groundbreaking in this book， but you’ll like Ralph Macchio even more and have more respect for the original film。
JJ Broenner
，
The OG Karate KidAn enjoyable， genuine read of Ralph’s journey becoming the Karate Kid and holding on to it for more than 30yrs to step into the roll again and one it。 There can be only one， seems an appropriate quote to use here from another 80’s movie favorite of mine。
Carol Wiilliams
，
I have been a fan of Ralph Macchio since he played the part of Johnny Cade in The Outsiders。There were so many young actors who made their name from that one movie。 Patrick Swayze， Tom Cruise， Rob Lowe， Emillio Estevez， C Thomas Howell， Matt Dillion， Diane Lane and of course， Ralph Macchio。Some of them went on to be bigger stars than other， I mean Tom Cruise is still bringing in the Big Bucks right now with Top Gun Maverick and Patrick Swayze was excellently in Road House， Ghost and my favorite I have been a fan of Ralph Macchio since he played the part of Johnny Cade in The Outsiders。There were so many young actors who made their name from that one movie。 Patrick Swayze， Tom Cruise， Rob Lowe， Emillio Estevez， C Thomas Howell， Matt Dillion， Diane Lane and of course， Ralph Macchio。Some of them went on to be bigger stars than other， I mean Tom Cruise is still bringing in the Big Bucks right now with Top Gun Maverick and Patrick Swayze was excellently in Road House， Ghost and my favorite Dirty Dancing。Ralph went on star in The Karate Kid franchise。 I enjoyed TKK 1 and 2， not so much 3。After that he went on to make My Cousin Vinny and then just seemed to drop off the face of the screen。 It was like he did nothing for decades。But now we have Cobra Kai and I’m loving it！ I am the same age as Macchio so I really got what he meant about movies in the 80’s。 Movies， music， clothes， hairstyles…。 How could you be 20 years old in the 80’s and not think back and say…。 Now that was a fun decade！Cobra Kai has flashbacks to the 80’s we’re are enjoyable and I think the new franchise has really taken off。 I find it fun to watch and can’t wait for each new season。Macchio seems to be ageless。 He may be my age…。 But he just does not look like he is in his 60s！ The writing in the book is pretty good。 It’s never going to be one of those books you want to read over again…。。 at least not for me。I didn’t learn a whole lot from it。 There were a few little bits of unknown things I picked up， but not much I didn’t already know or that made me stop and say…。 Well that is interesting。I thought that Pat Morita was the true star of the movie。 He was a really gifted actor and he brought Mr。 Miyagi to life。 Without Mr。 Miyagi there would have been no Karate Kid。 I think they could have found another actor to play Danielle LaRusso and the movie still would have done well， but Ralph Macchio did play the roll quite well and he continues to play the roll well in Cobra Kai。But…。 Without Billy Zabka playing his former nemesis Johnny Lawrence and without the villain character of Sensei John Kreese I am not sure if Cobra Kai would have gotten off the ground。But thankfully the stars aligned and the actors signed on and Cobra Kai did indeed succeed。Maybe I wanted to hear more about Ralph Macchio’s life。 His life growing up on Long Island， his longtime marriage to his wife Phyliss and their two children。 I am always interested in knowing how stardom affects a family。 There were really only a few mentions of that。 It really did concentrate on the Karate Kid Series。If you have not seen the series…。 Watch it。 Start from Karate Kid 1 and then was KK2 and force yourself to get through KK3 because that will all tie in when you decide you just must watch Cobra Kai on Netflix and watch them all in order， too。I skipped The Next Karate Kid starring Hillary Swank。 It has nothing to do with the real Karate Kid and I didn’t watch Will Smith’s makeover starring his son Jaden Smith。 I’m not interested in makeovers。 They have a way of never adding up the the originals and seem to take away the feels you get from the Real Deal。If you like Ralph Macchio in the Karate kid you will probably find this book an easy fast read， but don’t expect bombshells of karate kicks from it。 They are not there， but it was a bit entertaining to hear how it originated。But seriously…。 Watch the movies and then watch Cobra Kai。 It is worth it！！ 。。。more
Conor
，
The actor’s enthusiasm is infectious in this short but entertaining book。 Very cheesy at points but a pleasant and engaging read。 If there was an award for an earnest author， he would win。
Teague
，
Very light read listened to on drive to and from El Paso。 What a nice guy。 A friend recommended it as a break from the heavy。
Aileen
，
3。75 ⭐️ I grew up on ‘The Karate Kid’ - so this was great to listen and get an inside look。 My boys love the 80s movies and love the Netflix series now。 It’s like an extension of our childhood passed on to our kids。
Leslie M。 Cann
，
I can usually take/leave most any memoir/biography I read。 Quite a few of them I find self-serving and read them with a grain of salt so to speak， take what I want to from the book and move onto the next book。 This memoir has left me wanting a bit more。 This one centers around the Karate Kid franchise and the Netflix series Cobra Kai。 I found his writing to be both entertaining and educational as he gave so much background information about the movies。 So much so I hope he writes a memoir about I can usually take/leave most any memoir/biography I read。 Quite a few of them I find self-serving and read them with a grain of salt so to speak， take what I want to from the book and move onto the next book。 This memoir has left me wanting a bit more。 This one centers around the Karate Kid franchise and the Netflix series Cobra Kai。 I found his writing to be both entertaining and educational as he gave so much background information about the movies。 So much so I hope he writes a memoir about my favorite movie of his， The Outsiders。 This was most definitely a blast from my past！ 。。。more
Kim
，
I loved reminiscing with one of my teenage crushes。 Great look into a Hollywood star’s backstory as we follow his career that has spanned almost 40 years。 And to have had a successful career without drugs or scandals is quite refreshing！ Congratulations on all his successes and those still to come。 I feel like a teenager all over again。 Thank you。
Marissa Mariano
，
I realllllly enjoyed this one。 I’ve loved Ralph since the outsiders and I also loved that he talked a little about his life during the outsiders and not just all about karate kid although it is mostly about that。 I love how he pays tribute to those who have passed and also talks about cobra Kai。 I highly recommend this positive memior
Z
，
3。5 rounded upso， I'm not a huge karate kid fan， actually， I can't remember when I last saw it。 This is definitely for karate kid fans。 it's all about the movie/ movies/ cobra Kai spinoff。 What I did like was learning about Ralph Macchio。 He has so much humility and seems so much more intelligent and cooler than I expected。 I was impressed by him。 only recommend if you liked karate kid。 3。5 rounded upso， I'm not a huge karate kid fan， actually， I can't remember when I last saw it。 This is definitely for karate kid fans。 it's all about the movie/ movies/ cobra Kai spinoff。 What I did like was learning about Ralph Macchio。 He has so much humility and seems so much more intelligent and cooler than I expected。 I was impressed by him。 only recommend if you liked karate kid。 。。。more
Sheri S。
，
3。5 ⭐ - It's been years since I watched The Karate Kid movies and it was fun listening to the author and actor's many stories。 He seems to really appreciate his time making the movies and his successes afterwards。 He expresses a great deal of respect for the various actors and directors with which he has worked over the years。 It was a great book to listen to！ 3。5 ⭐ - It's been years since I watched The Karate Kid movies and it was fun listening to the author and actor's many stories。 He seems to really appreciate his time making the movies and his successes afterwards。 He expresses a great deal of respect for the various actors and directors with which he has worked over the years。 It was a great book to listen to！ 。。。more
Lisa Sparks
，
Perfectly fine memoir of this 80s cutie。 I was not the biggest Karate Kid fan but I still enjoyed this and it was a quick read。 Ralph is charming and humble。
Courtney
，
I've listened to a lot of memoirs from famous actors and Ralph Macchio comes off as the most genuine， grateful actor I've ever listened to。 Listening to his book was like a breath of fresh air， no drugs， no sex， no scandal， just introspective story telling and gratitude。 If the Karate Kid had an impact on your life， which is did for me， and you've enjoyed Cobra Kai， which， how could you not， you'll be happy you listened to this book。 I've listened to a lot of memoirs from famous actors and Ralph Macchio comes off as the most genuine， grateful actor I've ever listened to。 Listening to his book was like a breath of fresh air， no drugs， no sex， no scandal， just introspective story telling and gratitude。 If the Karate Kid had an impact on your life， which is did for me， and you've enjoyed Cobra Kai， which， how could you not， you'll be happy you listened to this book。 。。。more
Kale Blickenstaff
，
If you like Karate Kid/Cobra Kai you'll enjoy this。 If you like Karate Kid/Cobra Kai you'll enjoy this。 。。。more
Lorna
，
A quick read as an audio book。 Great jaunt down memory lane， I love how he honoured those from Karate Kid that have passed on。
Harris
，
The Karate Kid is one of my favorite movies of all time。 I was hoping for a book akin to "As You Wish" by Cary Elwes。 Unfortunately， this was a bust。 To be fair， the book isn't bad 。。。 it's just that each chapter has a theme that seems to go off on tangents and reads like a collage。 My biggest gripe is the amount of times Macchio would make a reference and then write， "I'll get to that in a later chapter" or "I'll elaborate on that later in the book。" Over and over again。 I'm thinking， "I'm alre The Karate Kid is one of my favorite movies of all time。 I was hoping for a book akin to "As You Wish" by Cary Elwes。 Unfortunately， this was a bust。 To be fair， the book isn't bad 。。。 it's just that each chapter has a theme that seems to go off on tangents and reads like a collage。 My biggest gripe is the amount of times Macchio would make a reference and then write， "I'll get to that in a later chapter" or "I'll elaborate on that later in the book。" Over and over again。 I'm thinking， "I'm already reading the book。 I don't care if you get to it now or later。 But take this phrase out。" That I blame on the editor though since Macchio is not a writer by trade （Daniel-San！ You all wet behind ear！）。 。。。more
Deborah Ogren
，
Outstanding book， throughly enjoyed it
Kari
，
4。5 starsThis book came around at the right time for me， when I was looking for a brain break and a bit of fun。 Don't expect anything deep or life changing。 No ponderings of his childhood， no eye popping revelations of his adult life。 Just stories and a bit of dish， this book is almost 100% to do with the cast， casting and filming of the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai， as well as some reflections on its place in pop culture history。 And as someone who remembers TKK from my childhood， and is currently 4。5 starsThis book came around at the right time for me， when I was looking for a brain break and a bit of fun。 Don't expect anything deep or life changing。 No ponderings of his childhood， no eye popping revelations of his adult life。 Just stories and a bit of dish， this book is almost 100% to do with the cast， casting and filming of the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai， as well as some reflections on its place in pop culture history。 And as someone who remembers TKK from my childhood， and is currently totally enjoying watching CK with my teenager， it's exactly the info I was curious to hear。 Light， fluff， fun。 。。。more
James Godin
，
Heartfelt and solid life experience of Ralph machio’s karate kid journey。
Monnie
，
I really enjoyed this memoir and it made me smile。 I wouldn't call myself someone who was a massive The Karate Kid fan growing up。 I enjoyed it， I thought he was cute （Johnny was cute too） but wouldn't say it defined the eighties for me。 But as I have become older it definitely has a wonderful nostalgia to it and my appreciation for it has grown。 I also watched the first few episodes of Cobra Kai and appreciate the clever turn of events and how it played with our perceptions of the characters in I really enjoyed this memoir and it made me smile。 I wouldn't call myself someone who was a massive The Karate Kid fan growing up。 I enjoyed it， I thought he was cute （Johnny was cute too） but wouldn't say it defined the eighties for me。 But as I have become older it definitely has a wonderful nostalgia to it and my appreciation for it has grown。 I also watched the first few episodes of Cobra Kai and appreciate the clever turn of events and how it played with our perceptions of the characters in the original film。 This book is mainly about Macchio's life as Daniel-san and his journey as being one of the most recognizable characters of the eighties。 This isn't a tell-all， a story of overcoming addiction or anything sensational。 It's just a guy who through luck and talent got an iconic role and how it changed his life。 And for me， that was enough。 He seems like a nice guy and since I did the audiobook， it felt more like going out for a five hour coffee date with him and hearing all his stories 。。。more
Amy de Raaf
，
I “fan-girled” my way through by this memoir read by Ralph aka Daniel！ I always loved Ralph as an actor first as Johnny in “The Outsiders” and then as beloved Daniel in the Karate Kid movie trilogy and now the hilarious and endearing Kobra Kai Netflix series。 So of course this book would be right up my alley！ I enjoyed learning more about Daniel and his life， all the celebrity anecdotes and behind the scene moments， it felt like childhood to me。 Really moving to hear about Mr。 Miyagi （Pat） and D I “fan-girled” my way through by this memoir read by Ralph aka Daniel！ I always loved Ralph as an actor first as Johnny in “The Outsiders” and then as beloved Daniel in the Karate Kid movie trilogy and now the hilarious and endearing Kobra Kai Netflix series。 So of course this book would be right up my alley！ I enjoyed learning more about Daniel and his life， all the celebrity anecdotes and behind the scene moments， it felt like childhood to me。 Really moving to hear about Mr。 Miyagi （Pat） and Daniel’s （Ralph’s） close and iconic friendship on and off the set。 I couldn’t get enough of this fun read， sad when it was over！ 。。。more
Mira
，
Ralph Macchio is just as joyful to read as to watch。 This book is like sticking your face in a sun beam while eating candy floss。 A lovely nostalgic look back at The Karate Kid franchise with behind the scenes anecdotes and the tale of how Cobra Kai came to be。 RM writes with feeling and emotion and reveals a little of his process too。 Don't expect any dirt， we're talking about the nicest guy in Hollywood after all！ Enjoy the 80s memories， cycle by lightly on your BMX and look out for Cobra Kai Ralph Macchio is just as joyful to read as to watch。 This book is like sticking your face in a sun beam while eating candy floss。 A lovely nostalgic look back at The Karate Kid franchise with behind the scenes anecdotes and the tale of how Cobra Kai came to be。 RM writes with feeling and emotion and reveals a little of his process too。 Don't expect any dirt， we're talking about the nicest guy in Hollywood after all！ Enjoy the 80s memories， cycle by lightly on your BMX and look out for Cobra Kai Seasons 6 to infinity and beyond！ 。。。more
Carissa
，
Even though I’m not an 80s kid I was a huge The Karate Kid fan and nothing beats the originals。 I knew that I had to read Waxing on。 And I enjoyed it。 Especially learning more about the actor himself。 And I enjoyed it。 I would recommend this biography for all Karate kid fans as well as anyone who enjoys reading celebrity memoirs and biographies。
Mikey
，
Such a fun read。 As a fan of both the original movies and the spin off series this book reads as a fantastic companion piece。 Ralph very eloquently explains his perspective on his career in a very mature way。 Great book！ Highly recommend！
Christine
，
I really enjoyed listening to Ralph Macchio narrate this memoir。 The Outsiders and The Karate Kid are two of my favorite movies and I had Ralph Macchio posters from Teen Beat on my wall。 It was a nice little walk down memory lane。
Justin Scott
，
Daniel - son must readLovely dive into the beloved life of Ralph and karate kid 。 You’ll be glad you read this book。 I am。
Wendy Greene
，
Not bad！ Could of used a little more heavy-handed editing， but overall it was exactly what I expected。。。a book about 'The Karate Kid' by the very actor who played him。 A quick and easy read if you're looking for something lighthearted， or a palate cleanser after a heavy book。 Not bad！ Could of used a little more heavy-handed editing， but overall it was exactly what I expected。。。a book about 'The Karate Kid' by the very actor who played him。 A quick and easy read if you're looking for something lighthearted， or a palate cleanser after a heavy book。 。。。more
Shawna
，
Interesting to hear about Ralph’s experience with this film both before， during and what came after。 I’ve never really heard an actors journey in detail。 If you like cinematography， you might enjoy the details in this book around The Karate Kid。 He talks about details from scenes in the movie。 I haven’t read a book like this so I thought it was interesting。 I never realized how the time a movie is released in history can have an impact for time to come。 He talked a lot about the Rocky movie bein Interesting to hear about Ralph’s experience with this film both before， during and what came after。 I’ve never really heard an actors journey in detail。 If you like cinematography， you might enjoy the details in this book around The Karate Kid。 He talks about details from scenes in the movie。 I haven’t read a book like this so I thought it was interesting。 I never realized how the time a movie is released in history can have an impact for time to come。 He talked a lot about the Rocky movie being iconic to him and now I feel like I need to see it。 。。。more
Provin Martin
，
We all know how movies and their franchises impact our lives。 They bring out feelings and memories that we will always cherish and never forget。 The best part about Ralph Macchio‘s book was finding out how the karate kid franchise impacted him and made him who he is today。 He incorporates so much of what he learned from Pat and his Mr。 Miyagi character。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It probably helped that I got to meet Ralph and receive a signed copy of this book！ Keep waxing on my friends！！
Debra Cook
，