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Thread: American Shaolin by Matt Polly

  1. #46
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    lhs

    There's a ghastly pic of Matt in his shorts as a young skinny kid as evidence. That's probably not going to help sell the book, but if Matt's honest if enough to show an embarrassing pic like that, well, his writing makes up for it.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #47
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    Wow, just read a preview from the book and ordered a copy. Cool stuff. You can read the preview here

    http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...ly=EXC&z=y#EXC
    Hung Sing Martial Arts Association
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  3. #48
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    Matt interviewed on On Point

    I just heard from the program staff for On Point (NPR radio). Matt is scheduled to be interviewed tomorrow at 11 EST. See the website above for local listings.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #49
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    I have the book and am half way through, it is pretty good!

  5. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    There's a ghastly pic of Matt in his shorts as a young skinny kid as evidence. That's probably not going to help sell the book, but if Matt's honest if enough to show an embarrassing pic like that, well, his writing makes up for it.
    Yeah, I found that pic before, but I just don't understand how somebody can weigh so little and be so tall.

    I worked with one guy who was from China who kept complaining he couldn't put any weight on. He ate like a bird when we went to lunch -- ate really slow and never finished his food.

    But he kept on complaining how he couldn't gain any weight. I was like, "Pizza and Beer, man ... Pizza and Beer." I think he was just anorexic.

    The book looks good BTW.

  6. #51
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    I would recomend reading it for sure, it made me laugh out loud a few times, the story is good and matt seems to be really honest about his experiances as well.

    I would also recomend " a monk from brooklyn" as well.

  7. I am just starting Book 3, Chapter 2 of the book. It is a very well-written and honest look at his life at Shaolin. Mr. Polly doesn't seem to hold back. He shows the good, the bad and the ugly of Shaolin and its place in China. I am having a very hard time putting it down.

  8. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by MonkeyKingUSA View Post
    I am just starting Book 3, Chapter 2 of the book. It is a very well-written and honest look at his life at Shaolin. Mr. Polly doesn't seem to hold back. He shows the good, the bad and the ugly of Shaolin and its place in China. I am having a very hard time putting it down.
    Yeah I def. agree!

  9. #54

    98-pound-weakling

    Yes, it's true I was never 98-lbs at 6'3". I would have been dead. It's a figure of speech. I was 145-lbs. But trust me that was plenty skinny on that frame. One of the Chinese newspapers that covered my fight referred to me as a lamp post. And that was a pretty accurate simile.
    Last edited by MatthewPolly; 02-14-2007 at 12:52 PM.

  10. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    There's a ghastly pic of Matt in his shorts as a young skinny kid as evidence. That's probably not going to help sell the book, but if Matt's honest if enough to show an embarrassing pic like that, well, his writing makes up for it.
    Reminds me of the movie Iron and Silk, where Salzman's wearing these hiked-up blue jean booty shorts practicing his fu with Pang......

    Still....his legs were friggin' monstrously ripped.....I wonder if he was showing them off.

    But if he was, why the Daisy Dukes, man? Why?
    Last edited by Shaolin Wookie; 02-10-2007 at 10:24 AM. Reason: humor

  11. #56

    That ghastly pic

    For those of you who have noted that ghastly pic of me as a scrawny, painfully awkward teen... well, it's true. I was. Personally, I didn't want to put the picture in the book because I found it embarrassing, but friends convinced me that if I was going to be completely honest I needed some visual evidence.

    I'm happy to read that a number of you have enjoyed the book. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple asked me to write something about the real lives of the modern monks to help promote the Temple in the West. I felt that the only way I could do it properly was to tell the story from eyes, so readers who had no experience of Shaolin could encounter the place first hand. The result was to put me front and center, but it has always been my view that the Shaolin monks are the real protagonists and heroes of this story. I hope you all will see why I found them so amazing.

    If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them here. I will be checking this post regularly. Gene is a Shaolin brother and has done much to help me and more importantly the Shaolin Temple for many years.

    All the best,
    Matthew Polly
    Last edited by MatthewPolly; 02-13-2007 at 02:17 AM.

  12. #57

    Wink

    Great book Matthew!.

    I finished mine the last week here in Mexico. Come on Matthew I just want to keep reading more books from you at shaolin.

    Good work!

  13. I finished the book today. All I can say is WOW! It was very hard to put down. I read it during my breaks at work and at home.
    Did I hear there was going to be a movie?
    I hope Matt has had better luck getting laid in America than he did in China.

    Matt,
    Thanks for a very enjoyable read. It was worth every penny!
    Richard A. Tolson

  14. #59
    Richard,
    Thank you for your kind words. I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed the book. It was a long process to get it written and published. A labor of love.

    Hopefully, others will find it as rewarding. Whether or not Fox finally decides to make the movie depends to a large degree on how the book sells.

    Best regards,
    Matthew Polly

    PS Ha! Yes, my luck has been a bit better since my return.

  15. #60
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    Thumbs up Sounds like the experience of a lifetime

    Just finished the book. It was wildly entertaining
    Hung Sing Martial Arts Association
    Self Protection, Self Confidence, Physical Fitness
    www.HungSingChoyLayFut.com

    Martial Arts Training and fitness Blog
    http://hungsingmartialarts.blogspot.com/

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