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Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven

By: Susan Jane Gilman
Narrated by: Susan Jane Gilman
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Summary

Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman's memoir is a hilarious and harrowing journey—a modern heart of darkness filled with Communist operatives, backpackers, and pancakes.

They were young, brilliant, and bold. They set out to conquer the world. But the world had other plans for them.

Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman's new memoir is a hilarious and harrowing journey, a modern heart of darkness filled with Communist operatives, backpackers, and pancakes.

In 1986, fresh out of college, Gilman and her friend Claire yearned to do something daring and original that did not involve getting a job. Inspired by a place mat at the International House of Pancakes, they decided to embark on an ambitious trip around the globe, starting in the People's Republic of China. At that point, China had been open to independent travelers for roughly ten minutes.

Armed only with the collected works of Nietzsche, an astrological love guide, and an arsenal of bravado, the two friends plunged into the dusty streets of Shanghai. Unsurprisingly, they quickly found themselves in over their heads. As they ventured off the map deep into Chinese territory, they were stripped of everything familiar and forced to confront their limitations amid culture shock and government surveillance. What began as a journey full of humor, eroticism, and enlightenment grew increasingly sinister-becoming a real-life international thriller that transformed them forever.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is a flat-out thriller, an astonishing true story of hubris and redemption told with Gilman's trademark compassion, lyricism, and wit.

©2009 Susan Jane Gilman (P)2009 Hachette Audio
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Critic reviews

"Gilman proves an able and entertaining storyteller. Though there is more about China in the unabridged print version, the abridgement does keep her account flowing quickly. There is also an informative Q&A with the author at the end."—The Boston Globe

What listeners say about Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven

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A waste of time

I was truly hoping for a joyful journey instead this book was filled with psychosis and neuroses. Why write this depressing journey?
This is not what I expected. Two beautiful women with lots of angst. Not fun!

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