Matthew Polly’s American Shaolin is thus far filled with wonderful conversation. Polly has spoken with a Beijing cabdriver and a Zheng Zhou key girl named Moon. The talk is very similar which, in many ways, diversifies and develops the narrative. The dialogue is planted with irony.
“What country are you from?”
“America.”
“America is a great country. Very powerful. Not like China.”
“But China has advanced rapidly,” I said.
“No, it is inadequate. It will take seventy years before it is acceptible.”
“I have heard it will only take fifty years.”
“Who told you that?”
“A cab driver in Beijing.”
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the shout-out. It’s great to hear that you are enjoying “American Shaolin.” You have a sharp eye. That quote/conversation is one of the lietmotifs of the book.
Best,
Matthew Polly
http://www.mattpolly.com
Sure thing, Matt. And thanks for the experience.
I finished your book a few days ago (time to move on to book three of Tezuka’s Buddha). I loved the return back at the end and the slight change to the taxi conversation.