Kasey’s Reading Blog

            The theme of American Shaolin is that if you can see your dream, you can have it. Over the course of the book, Matthew Polly, a 98 pound weakling from Kansas struggles against adversity from his parents, friends and his competition. He doesn’t quit or leave; he refuses to go home a failure and will not let those who doubted him be proven right. He takes hits from all places to all places but keeps coming back and will not let his dreams be crushed. Matthew learned a lot on his two year trip. He learned to never doubt himself and never to give up no matter what lies ahead. He learned that he can in fact control his destiny and no one can stop him but himself.  By the end of his trip he had fulfilled his dream of becoming a feared fighter and discovered what his real dream was,” I wanted to be good at something, anything…what I wanted was to love something, as fiercely as [the monk] loved Shaolin Kung fu” (Polly 361)
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/apr/28/featuresreviews.guardianreview10 

 

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