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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 796.8155 EAN: 9781592402625 ISBN: 1592402623 Label: Gotham Manufacturer: Gotham Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 384 Publication Date: February 01, 2007 Publisher: Gotham Studio: Gotham Editorial Review: Product Description: Bill Bryson meets Bruce Lee in this raucously funny story of one scrawny Americans quest to become a kung fu master at Chinas legendary Shaolin Temple. Growing up a ninety-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series, Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to spend two years training with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism. Expecting to find an isolated citadel populated by supernatural ascetics that hed seen in countless badly dubbed chop-socky flicks, Matthew instead discovered a tacky tourist trap run by Communist party hacks. But the dedicated monks still trained in the rigorous age-old fighting formssome even practicing the iron kung fu discipline, in which intensive training can make various body parts virtually indestructible (even the crotch). As Matthew grew in his knowledge of China and kung fu skill, he would come to represent the Temple in challenge matches and international competitions, and ultimately the monks would accept their new American initiate as close to one of their own as any Westerner had ever become. Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of one young mans journey into the ancient art of kung fuand a funny and poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Fascinating and Funny.A must-read for anyone interested in travel, martial arts, language, or cultural exchange. There were a few times that I raised my eyebrows, wondering whether Polly exaggerated some of his experiences, but who cares? His book is intensely entertaining and interesting. Rating:  - Fun read but does lose focus at the endI really enjoyed this book. It had me chuckling out loud numerous times. I agree with the Publisher's Weekly review that Polly loses focus in the last 100 pages. Nonetheless, very enjoyable. Rating:  - Great travelogueA friend from my karate class recommended this book; Matthew Polly traveled to the Shaolin temple in the early 1990's to learn Kungfu from the Shaolin monks. Seems included in his inadequacies (short list provided) was a self perception as a coward. This "cowardly" young man traveled alone, thousands of miles, against the advice of friends and family, to an alien land and very different culture, to a place with a political and economic system that most americans feared at the time. There he immersed ... Read More Rating: - funny, insightful...great readMatthew Polly's adventures in China make for a very fascinating book. I couldn't put this book down. He provides great insight on China in the early 90s, while at the same time weaving a humorous tale of a Westerner trying to survive in Asia. Anyone who has spent time in Asia can relate to Polly's observations...however, he does so with great wit and the keen insight only someone fluent in the language could provide. Rating: - not really kung fu, buddhism or burger king, but funny funny funnyAlthough this is a nonfiction memoir, it reads like a very funny novel. Beware of reading this in public, unless you don't mind laughing really hard and having people staring at you. (ie iron crotch monks, coke dealing, midnight mistresses, etc). Interestingly there were moments that were also very touching and could really bring a tear to person. Despite this, the book gave some very fascinating, presumably accurate, first person account about China in the 90's, kungfu, and the most importantly ... Read More |
