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Matthew Polly

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  • Shaolin Kung Fu

    Hello

    2 years ago
  • Ran Salvador

    whenever i fall out of my training routine, i can always count on your book to get me back in the spirit again!

    *or to crave some BK!*

    2 years ago
  • Paul Williams

    hey i just finally picked up your book even though we talked about it a long time ago.i went back to school.
    kudos on giving props to Salzman in the begining. have you ever met him?
    will write back when finished.

    peace and chicken grease.

    2 years ago
  • Paul Williams

    i finally read your book over the xmas break. its a fantastic read.
    great work!

    2 years ago
  • Matthew Scott Kimple

    Hey Mr. Polly,
    HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR!
    Year of the OX now. May you have a wonderful and prosperous year.
    :)

    Best and Amitabha,
    Matthew S.
    Kimple

    2 years ago
  • The Mercies

    Happy 4th of July! I loved your book and will be sharing your story with my high school students next year.
    Love your profile pic! Karen

    3 years ago
  • Robert Sapp

    thanks for the add .I loved readind of you life in china.
    I think you are one of a kind!

    3 years ago
  • Roberta

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

    3 years ago
  • Dominick DeRose

    Happy early Birthday 2 my favorite author

    3 years ago
  • Ian Michelsen

    Hey Matt. I really like you'r book, and I wached the videos you posted. And they were really cool.

    3 years ago
10 of 280More

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About me:

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I am an awarding winning travel writer for Slate. My work has also appeared in Playboy, Esquire, and The Nation. My first book -- American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch -- was just published by Gotham/Penguin on February 1st, 2007. It is the story of the two years I spent studying kung fu and Zen Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple in China, the birthplace of both. Fox2000 is currently developing it into a feature film.

My website is: ....www.mattpolly.com....

Advance praise for American Shaolin:

"I picked up American Shaolin and read it straight through. It is first rate. Polly's book tells more about what's going on in China and has more insights into the real China than anything in recent years. It is a wonderful true-life story with profound, behind-the-headlines observations about Chinese life. A tip of the Stetson to Matthew Polly."
--Dan Rather, legendary anchor of the CBS Evening News

"A sensibility more alien to my own than Matthew Polly's is hard to imagine. I consider foreign cultures to be really...foreign. I don't spiritually quest; I go to church. As for the martial arts, I own a gun. But I loved American Shaolin. Reading it was like being abducted by an alien--a brilliant, funny, and hospitable alien who took me to another universe of sensibility. There I enjoyed myself immensely."
--P.J. O'Rourke, author of Parliament of Whores

"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."
--Robert Hamburger, author of REAL Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book.



To purchase the American version from Amazon.com click on the image below:




To purchase the British version from Amazon.uk click on the image below:





Here are links to some of my articles for Slate.

....Return to the Shaolin Temple....

....Brown Revisited....

....Caipirinha Nights: An American in Rio....


Looking for the perfect gift for that special person in your life?

Click here to visit my store on CafePress!

Who I'd like to meet:

Readers who enjoy a fun story, booksellers and librarians, writers, martial arts fans, people interested in China and Buddhism.

Details

  • Status: Single
  • Here for: Networking, Friends
  • Hometown: Topeka
  • Height: 6' 3"
  • Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
  • Religion: Catholic
  • Zodiac Sign: Taurus
  • Children: Someday
  • Smoke / Drink: No / Yes
  • Education: Post grad
  • Occupation: Writer

Schools

  • Oxford University

    • Oxford, S
    • Graduated: 1998
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: Master's Degree
    • Major: Politics
    • Minor: Philosophy
    • Clubs: Rhodes
    1995 to 1998

  • Princeton University

    • Princeton, NJ
    • Graduated: 1995
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
    • Major: Religion
    • Minor: East Asian Studies
    • Clubs: Terrace
    1989 to 1995

  • Topeka West High

    • Topeka, KS
    • Graduated: 1989
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: High School Diploma
    • Clubs: Basketball, Soccer, Tennis, National Honors, Spanish Club
    1984 to 1989

Companies

  • AOL

    • New York, NY US
    • Editor
    1999-2002

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