Very interesting thread. I'm not nearly through yet but some very interesting info mixed up with the usual anti-Gracie feelings that have become so popular as of late, specially in the United States.
I would like to read the books themselves, but I had the impression this was a Portuguese language book translated to English, because the author seems to be Brazilian. But yet I can't find it in Portuguese. Is it originally published in English? Like with the Reila book, I much prefer reading it in the original language to make sure nothing is lost in translation since I speak Portuguese fluently too. I see so many horrible translation jobs out there with books from the languages I speak to English.
Since this is talking about Brazilian history and referencing articles written in Portuguese I hope this is a Brazilian book. Much closer to the source.
Also, for those who read the books, are the newspaper articles just mentioned in transcription form in the book or do they re-print the actual original articles, meaning an actual scan of the page? I hope the later as it leaves no room for "personal interpretations" by the author. Anybody who reads Portuguese can get the story direct from the article without going through the author's filter. Otherwise the book becomes much more questionable.
So far by what I gathered from the thread not too many surprises. Neither in the revisionist history, because ALL history in revisionist somehow, neither surprised with the reactions from some of the threads posters, who's motto of most seems to be discrediting Gracies and even Brazilians at any chance available.
I personally never believed the Helio invented BJJ or the frail kid who learned by watching tale. But I wouldn't go as far as discrediting Helio's contribution, or the Gracies for that matter and definitely not Brazil's general contribution.
For anybody without an agenda, and with a bit of multicultural knowledge and familiarization with martial arts it's easy to see BJJ is not just Judo or just a Japanese martial art. Just one look at a BJJ match, the way they train and the philosophy and there is Brazilian culture written all over it. Not even a question. It would have never evolved the way it did and in the shape it did in Japan. Japanese culture is just too rigid and different to accommodate that. So for those saying BJJ is not actually Brazilian, hopefully you at least have never been to Brazil, don't travel and is new to martial arts, for your defense. Because if BJJ is not Brazilian, collegiate Wrestling is even less American and if you dig deep enough into history, depending which root you take, all martial arts are either Chinese, Hindu or Greek.
BJJ is very Brazilian and it has Brazil and it's culture stamped on it every turn of the way.
As for Helio, creator of BJJ or not, it's easy to tell he is just more important than Carlos in the grand scheme of things and I think this book also reenforces it. This was one part of the Rorion propaganda that always made sense to me when I talk to BJJ old timers. Everybody will say Helio was the teacher, the trainer, even to Carlos own children and even if some of them will say they got their training from Carlos himself.
Creator or not, without Helio BJJ would not be what it is today. You can naturally and should give credit to Carlos, George, Carlson, Rolles, Rickson etc. But either by merit or by chance, Helio's person has the most crossings with BJJ's history. He trained basically the whole 2nd generation, which was the most important to BJJ as we know it today, he not only trained but also fathered arguably the best and biggest representatives of the art in the family, he shaped a whole line of thought for many generations about the style. Carlos, Carlson, Rolles and Rickson did as well. But even from them it points back to Helio, while not all Helio points back to Carlos really, and this book shows that even more clearly it seems.
With that said, regardless of Fadda, Omo etc. the Gracies were still the chief car in the development and evolution of BJJ. You can question their methods, ethics and what have you. But their dedication and importance is hard to question in an agenda-free environment. There is only one Maeda, one Franca, one Fadda, one Omo, one Mehdi, but there are dozens of Gracies who all put work and added to the art and most importantly kept it alive and brought it from a circus act into the lime light of international professional fighting.