The Monk From Brooklyn: An American At The Shaolin Temple

by Antonio Graceffo

The Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Kung Fu and modern Chinese Buddhism, is the oldest and most mysterious Kung Fu school in the world. It is an exotic and mythical destination of daydreams to millions of people. In the history of the temple, very few foreigners have ever had a chance to study there. Foreigners have been allowed to study in many of the Shaolin schools, near the temple, which have taken the Shaolin name as a marketing ploy, but less than fifty foreigners have studied at the original Shaolin Temple. Antonio Graceffo was lucky enough to be one of the few, and this is the chronicle of his experience. Antonio has twenty-five years of experience with martial arts, so it is with a knowing eye that he observed the training at the temple. But it is his background that gives him a very unique perspective. An Italian-American from Brooklyn, New York, and a former investment banker, Antonio was educated in some of the best universities that Europe and Asia had to offer. His articles are informative, humorous, and irreverent. He doesn't pull any punches writing about the filthy conditions and the diminished mental capacities of people who spent a lifetime learning to kick, but never bothered to learn to read and write. The title says it all. Put a Chinese-speaking Italian-American, from Brooklyn in the holiest of Buddhist temples, and watch the racial harmony flow.

Genres: China

315 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2004

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Factual or not, I wonder that the Chinese people ever made it into the 21st century. It's rare for a book to make me laugh out loud, but this did it several times.

[Tarik · Rating 1 out of 5]

With Antonio Graceffo's background in martial arts and economics, I expected his experiences at the Shaolin temple to be a great opportunity for him to reflect on the culture and socio-economic situation of the temple. Unfortunately, that's not what you're getting from this book. It's an opinionated and brutally honest diary-style recounting of his thoughts and experiences at the temple. Qualities which I usually hold in high regard, but do not mean much when Antonio is such a deeply incurious and unlikable person.

The way he speaks about the people at the temple and often the Chinese at large swings from slight contempt to teetering on racism. And sometimes, by his own admission, just straight-up racism.

I got about 80% through the book when I realised I had just been reading the diary of a man-child winging and moaning every day about his lack of modern conveniences. At that point, I just closed the book and moved on.

[Adonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely, without a doubt, a hidden gem. Written in diary style by a former Wall Street guy who never fails to let the Brooklyn in him shine through, you won't be disappointed. I originally purchased this book because I have a bit more than a passing interest in the Shaolin. This book is *nothing* like I thought it would be at all. If you are expecting a heartfelt account of the Shaolin and a loving reverence to China - forgetta bout it!

This book will turn your romanticized thoughts about China on it's ear but in the end, you'll be glad it did. Antonio's writing style is as vivid as it is candid. When your done reading, you'll feel like you just got off of the phone with your cousin who spent several hours telling you about his hair brained idea to quit his job in New York and move to China to train with the Shaolin. Sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction. This guy may be a little crazy but I completely enjoyed it. It reads like fiction but you know in your heart that it's probably all true.

This book is hands down **my favorite read for 2014**. It really is just that good. A non-fiction, first person account that will leave all others out in the cold. He needs to travel and write more. A lot more. I'm ready for his next adventure!

I had to get my local bookstore to order a copy of this book because even Amazon didn't have one and there isn't a Kindle version available. It was worth it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like this book it was honest and to the point...it is about a kickboking martial artist.. that spent six months at a shaolin temple site in china..

and frakly how he bribed his way in, for six month of exstenive training which i think he was able to endure do to his frist passion kick-boxing

he explaine how he tryed to get on with all the trainnes and the masters that were training him..
but it does beg the Q.... was this the "temple" that had trveled the world makeing (bigload of wonga) expanding finacies from tours..merchidise, ete etc.

why.. am i saying this... well he does state that things staretd to go sour when he was about to leave ..???.
they did not mind him taking photos while he was there but,,
did not whant them to leave the building..
he explaines there ploy too intimadate him the frist time by locking him in a house.

this time they turned out in force to exstract the images
when this failed they de-frauded him of his money they kept.. and barly gave him enough to get to central china

now what i ask the reader of this review to think is this
why would the "shoaolin temple now worth millions".. be so mercanary to wards this indavidual..

it is a good read on what realy happens whe you go serching for a dream...

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

An awful read. Written in the style of a diary or blog, the author decides to go to China to study kung fu. Not nearly as readable as "American Shaolin", but unfortunately with many of the similar cultural issues that made me side-eye a white man going to China.

There is little introduction and the reader has to pick up the background of the author along the way. I was very turned off my his negative views on China--how it's dirty, backward, uneducated. He is jealous that another white guy has a Chinese girlfriend. Really? Have to add yellow fever to this too?

I had a lot of difficulty reading the book and pretty much read only the beginning and the end. Unfortunately the author finds that the depictions of Shaolin temples don't really match Western media's idealization of them. They are in a poor area and are not above intimidation, bribery, theft and other similar crimes to make money and to protect themselves. I got the distinct impression that the author went in with a very different idea of what his training would be like. It is unfortunate he came away with such a negative perception, but he was only there for about three months and really should have done further research before he left.

Definitely don't recommend it at all.