Tapped Out: Rear Naked Chokes, the Octagon, and the Last Emperor: An Odyssey in Mixed Martial Arts

When Polly, a longtime MMA enthusiast and travel writer for Slate, told his editor that he wanted to write a book about mixed martial arts, he was given the go-ahead on the condition that he train and compete himself. Polly spent the next two years getting punched, kicked, and slapped by some of the best coaches in MMA, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. A gregarious and charming protagonist, Polly comes across as self-deprecating, yet his enthusiasm and passion for martial arts are unmistakable. Readers familiar with MMA will be gratified to hear how affable their heroes are and will recognize themselves in the author's shoes. Those who previously lacked knowledge of this modern craze will respect both Polly, for undertaking this odyssey, and the fighters whose grueling training regimens he followed. His story ends with a single fight%E2%80%93an amateur bout that he wins against a man 15 years his junior%E2%80%93proving that even an Everyman, if trained well enough, can have his glory. (Nov.)