American Shaolin by Matthew Polly
Bill Bryson meets Bruce Lee in this raucously funny story of one scrawny American's quest to become a kung fu master at China's 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 he'd 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 forms-some 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 man's journey into the ancient art of kung fu-and a funny and poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.American Shaolin, Tapped Out, and Bruce Lee are all national best-sellers by Matthew Polly. He spent two years training kung fu at the Shaolin Monastery in Henan, China, as a Princeton University graduate and Rhodes Scholar. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Esquire, Slate, Playboy, and the Nation, among other publications. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut, as a Yale University fellow.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781592402625 |
| ISBN 10 | 1592402623 |
| Title | American Shaolin |
| Author | Matthew Polly |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Year published | 2007-02-01 |
| Number of pages | 366 |
| Prizes | Winner of Alex Awards 2008 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |