Kung Fu in the Suburbs

Categories: Sports , Nonfiction

As a kid I loved Kung Fu movies.  So, naturally I was drawn to a book titled Lost in Place: Growing up Absurd in Suburbia by Mark Salzman.  This memoir, through many hilarious scenes,  evokes all of those wild ambitions most of us had as teenagers and our obsession to do whatever it took to make them a reality.   Salzman recounts his adolescent fascination with Kung Fu and his quest to become a Zen master. 

He quickly sought out the only Kung Fu school in his town and formally enrolled in a class.  Only 14 years old at the time, he managed to convince the martial arts instructor to allow him to study and practice with the adult class.  Not only was this a little dangerous, but the instructor was a bit of a loose cannon, leading his pupils through a series of reckless and ill-advised exercises.  Needless to say, he got a little banged up during these weekly sessions and in the process was introduced to the adult world in a pretty skewed way.

Somehow, he managed to survive all of the physical and psychological torment he encountered at the hands of his instructor and fellow students.  More surprisingly, it didn't diminish his zeal to continue pursuing this as an interest.

Mark Salzman's portrayals of people and events is pitch perfect as he shows all of the craziness, frustration, and hilarity of adolescence.  If you have had any similar experiences during that time of your life, you are sure to enjoy this book.

If you like this book you should also try another book by Salzman titled Iron and Silk.  This is an account of his time teaching English to children in Changsha, China and his attempt to study with a famous martial arts teacher there.  He has also written several works of fiction.  These include:  The Laughing Sutra, The Soloist, and  Lying Awake.