An original and insightful book, moving beyond mere fish-out-of-water territory to become a story of personal redemption that's never a drag Polly's winning memoir manages the near impossible: main-taining a careful balance between acute observation and forthright views of his Chinese hosts without condescension.

A lot of people talk about becoming a real live ninja and don't do a thing. That's bullcrap. But this guy actually did it! In conclusion,Matthew Polly is the complete opposite of a wimpy baby.

Growing up a ninety-eight-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day becoming the toughest fighter in the world. In college, he decided the time had come to pursue this dream. So he dropped out of Princeton, hopped on a plane to China, and set out in search of spiritual enlightenment and ass-kicking power with the legendary sect of monks who invented Zen Buddhism and kungfu.

American 5haolin is the story of the two years Matthew spent in China living, studying, and performing with the Shaolin monks. In time he learned the ancient art of Shaolin kungfu, the ferocious sport of Chinese kickboxing, and the mysterious practice of "iron kungfu," in which a part of the body (such as the head, neck, stomach, or, most frightening of all, the crotch) is made impervious to harm. Matthew would need to rely on all this inherited wisdom and skill when he was forced to defend the Temple's honor in a no-rules challenge match, rescue a friend who had crossed an underworld gangster, and fight in one of China's national tournaments.

Alongside the Shaolin monks, Matthew discovered the salubrious effects of Buddhist meditation, the deleterious national drinking game, and the allure of forbidden love in Red China. Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of-age story of one man's journey into the ancient art of kungfu~ and a poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.

PROLOGUE

BOOK ONE:WANDERER

1. The First Step

2. Lost in Transplantation

3. Sleeping Beauty

4. Kungfu World

5. Lights, Camera, Action

6. A Coke and a Smile

7. Defeetion

BOOK TWO:NOVICE

1. Eating Bitter

2. The Show Must Go On

3. Chinese Medicine

4. Roommates

5. Shaolin's Champion

6. The Sacred and the Profane

BOOK THREE: INITIATE

1. Kiekboxing

2. Media Matters

3. Iron Forearm Boy

4. Taiwan Tunes

5. Playing Hands

6. Crazy Negotiations

7. Taking a Beating

BOOK FOUR: APPPRENTICE

1. Happy Endings

2. Iron Crotch Kungfu

3. Getting Schooled

4. The Sixth Race

5. Dirty Jokes and Beer

6. Pride and Penance

7. Another American

BOOK FIVE: DISCIPLE

1. Challenge Match

2. Mistress Management

3. Tournament

4. No Problems

5. The Western Spea'r

6. Endings

EPILOGUE: Shaolin Reunion

AUTHOR'S NOTE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS