American Shaolin

Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China

By: Matthew Polly

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

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 90-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 had 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.

©2018 Matthew Polly (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Not just a great story

A fun and funny story that is as much about human interaction as it is about kung fu. One of the greatest takeaways is that is delivers a good about of information about Chinese social culture through a good story and someone learning their way through it.

Unique account of an American in Shaolin.

The Narrator is impecable in explaining the visits that Mathew Poly had ln Shaolin's Henan Province, and other parts of mainland China.

Well written and whole book was interesting

Matthew Polly experience's in China was a pleasure to listen . His Experience's as a student of Shaolin and general Chinese Culture was fascinating

INCREDIBLE

What a wonderful book. Once I started , I could not stop. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Great book ,American Shaolin Rocks!

This is one of the best books,on the subject with a very different style,it is
Very revealing,very funny it is a book for both martial artist and non martial artist alike,this is a fun ride .Matt Polly is the man!

Honest and inspiring!

What a worthwhile read. An honest account of an inspiring journey. Well read too. I loved it!

Great story on culture

I enjoyed this book very much. It was filled with lots of lessons on life and cultural experiences. As with many people who walk the path of Martial Arts it is only a vessel in which we share with others that allow us to experience and express ourselves. This story does a great job of using Kung Fu as the backdrop and glue of the story.

The book is a 5/5 - The reader is good but...

The book is excellent. Seriously, get this book, you'll love it.

... The reader is very good save for one very distracting exception. Within the span of a few sentences he will pronounce the same word two to four different ways. A persons name like Wang (pronounced at first with an "ay" sound) will a sentence later be pronounced differently (with an "ah" sound.) No one can expect a western reader who doesn't speak Chinese to have perfect pronunciation, both tonally and otherwise - and for the most part the reader does a good job. But with the constantly changed pronunciations of proper nouns, it becomes hard to keep track of key players in the story.

Thought provoking, funny, and insightful

Polly is brutally honest and vulnerable in this book which made it fascinating on simply a human level. He is funny and smart, and he really gives a solid glimpse at China in the 90s.

My favorite book

I'm not much of a reader, but I got this book when I was in high school, I was drawn to The book cover and just the idea of it. And it was the first book that I read which I could not take my eyes away from. with every word and every paragraph I was truly interested. And I'm glad to say that even with 7 years of growth, it still moves me and is a great story. It's one of the first books that I always recommend to people if they're looking for a new book to read.