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American Shaolin: A book by Matt Polly

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  • American Shaolin: A book by Matt Polly

    Doc,

    Old buddy and Shaolin brother, I really appreciate you taking this time to look at my book. The best thing I ever did for the Shaolin monks was introducing you and Gene to the temple. Hopefully, this book will be the second best thing.

    I hope you enjoy it.

    Amitofu,
    Matt Polly
    Well, I can certainly assure you, that introducing the temple to me was one of the best things that could happen to me, but I'm most certain that introducing me to the temple was probably not the best thing that could happen to them.

    Matt Polly is one of those Shaolin icons that unfortunately, does not have the exposure that he deserves. Being one of the original Americans to experience the Shaolin of yore (there were others before him, though they were few and far between), Matt was the man who brought me on that, well, interesting trip to Shaolin in 1995. A trip which found me providing medical care to just about all fifteen of our traveling companions, a trip which started me on what became a journey non-pareil, a trip which started this web site, and, a trip which coined a new, previously unused term, "spit left", which, one day, I'll explain in my book, again, one day. We won't talk about that again, ok?

    Matt's book offers an insight into the older world of Shaolin, before the commercialization of the place, in his typical humorous and extremely well written fashion. I have it, I haven't completely read it yet, but, as you can see from the cover, it's obviously going to be a winner. The book will be available on February 1st, 2007, and it can be preordered on Amazon.

    Take a look at it. I promised Matt that I'd help him sell millions of copies. I've already told both of my friends about it.

    You can pre-order the book from Amazon here:
    http://www.amazon.com/American-Shaol...e=UTF8&s=books
    Attached Files
    Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

    "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

    (more comments in my User Profile)
    russbo.com



  • #2
    Looking forward to reading it.


    Uwe

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    • #3
      I already started reading it and i tis very interesting indeed. I would have done the same as him, given the chance to go...
      Hope you're doing great, Rich, over at Thailand...avoid the Chumbas, please!!!
      -ShiManQi
      No Chumbas, por favor!

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      • #4
        An article about him in The Times today..

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        • #5
          American Shaolin by Matthew Polly

          As far any of you know, just how legitimate is this book? I just finished it the other day, and although I found it quite intriguing and entertaining, the veracity of it seemed very questionable. In the author's note, Polly owns up to reorganizing events and portraying himself as wittier than he is in real life, but he doesn't say anything about fabricating events and dialogue. Yet I don't see how he could have remembered word-for-word the lengthy conversations that occur between him and other characters in the text, especially since most of them would have to have been translated from Chinese to English. Furthermore, many events seems like they were taken directly from a soap opera or action movie, and some of the information contradicts what I've read elsewhere. (For example, Polly's version of Shi Xing Hong's life story is quite different from the one found on Russbo.Com, with the latter seeming far more reasonable.) Add to this the fact that he's a disciple of the false propagandist and capitalist Shi Yong Xin, and I'm one skeptical fellow. Thanks in advance for any insight.

          Edit: Sorry. I didn't see the other thread when I posted this.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Like Water View Post
            As far any of you know, just how legitimate is this book? I just finished it the other day, and although I found it quite intriguing and entertaining, the veracity of it seemed very questionable. In the author's note, Polly owns up to reorganizing events and portraying himself as wittier than he is in real life, but he doesn't say anything about fabricating events and dialogue. Yet I don't see how he could have remembered word-for-word the lengthy conversations that occur between him and other characters in the text, especially since most of them would have to have been translated from Chinese to English. Furthermore, many events seems like they were taken directly from a soap opera or action movie, and some of the information contradicts what I've read elsewhere. (For example, Polly's version of Shi Xing Hong's life story is quite different from the one found on Russbo.Com, with the latter seeming far more reasonable.) Add to this the fact that he's a disciple of the false propagandist and capitalist Shi Yong Xin, and I'm one skeptical fellow. Thanks in advance for any insight.

            Edit: Sorry. I didn't see the other thread when I posted this.
            I thought it was a good book, and who cares about how completely accurate the conversations were, Matt Polly is a big dork and pretty funny.
            "For some reason I'm in a good mood today. I haven't left the house yet, though. "

            "fa hui, you make buddhism sexy." -Zachsan

            "Friends don't let friends do Taekwondo." -Nancy Reagan

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            • #7
              There have been questions of its veracity. His colleague and business partner at the time, a mutual friend of ours, "John", claimed that much of what was in the book was not exactly true. He claimed that there was a lot of embellishment.

              Well, not a problem. It's a work of fiction. Matt can do what he wants with it. I will say this however, that out of all of these guys writing their "I'm a Shaolin monk" books, Matt probably has the most authority on this matter. Some of the other shit out there is pure self centered self aggrandizement fabrication.
              Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

              "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

              (more comments in my User Profile)
              russbo.com


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