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Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven Susan Jane Gilman 9780446578929 Books

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Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven Susan Jane Gilman 9780446578929 Books

I enjoyed this book. The writer wrote with an honesty and sense of humour that lightened up what could have been a depressing story. As someone who had traveled in China, I particularly enjoyed her description of China in 1984 when it just opened up to tourism. Yet really had no infrastructure to feed or provide tourists with an environment they would find comfortable. Susan Gilman wrote a very convincing account of the serious changes her travel partner experienced during this daunting excursion. As a mental health worker of 15 years, I am very familiar with the type of behavior the main character was observing as her friend became more vulnerable. I think she did an excellent job of showing the amazing kindness of the Chinese people, even when experiencing austere poverty. The book was hard to put down, the characters came to life and were all different, not without flaws. She captured "the coming of age" that many youth experience when going "outside their comfort zone" and seeing that the world is a very complicated place. I really enjoyed the earthy quality Gilman captures, the way she pulls the story together and the moving way she wraps it up.


Tags : Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven [Susan Jane Gilman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. They were young, brilliant, and bold. They set out to conquer the world. But the world had other plans for them.</BR></BR><BR/> Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman's new memoir is a hilarious and harrowing journey,Susan Jane Gilman,Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven,Grand Central Publishing,0446578924,Essays & Travelogues,General,Backpacking;China.,China;Description and travel.,China;Social life and customs;20th century.,Asia - China,Authors, American,Backpacking,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography General,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Biography: general,China,College students,Description And Travel,Personal Memoirs,Travel,Travel Essays & Travelogues,Travelers

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven Susan Jane Gilman 9780446578929 Books Reviews

I was 25 when I visited China as a tour escort in 1981. Gilman's narrative of her 1986 backpacking adventure to China was a visceral reminder of my experiences while there 5 years earlier. Her honest and blunt description of the people, culture and infrastructure of the cities she visited was spot on, and her problems, while there, were agonizingly familiar as well. Having said that, I won't go back, I want to remember China as it was...innocent of post WWII western influence...no locks on doors, dirty floors, cooks spitting and smoking, a wood chair in the airplane's aisle for the overbooked passenger, and almost every person wearing Mao jackets and pants, except for the beautiful children dressed in colorful and sometimes bizarre clothes. Gilman was a brave young woman to embark on her journey. The Chinese' eagerness to learn of "all things western" was understandable. They were also embarking on an incredible journey back then, in super fast forward mode. I've followed China's progress and pitfalls through the years as I'm sure Gilman has, and I wish her successful closure for any "loose ends" she mentions in her memoir.
This is a book for travelers, especially first-time travelers. As far as preparations and planning for travel, Susan and Claire made just about every mistake possible. The fact that they survived was just plain “dumb” luck. They were travelling in the mid 80s to China, a country that was characterized by suspicion when it came to contact with foreigners.

Claire had money, at least her family did. We get to know her as sort of a spoiled rich girl. This story is related by Susan, who had to work hard for a long time to save money for the big adventure the two planned. She was helped financially by a grandmother, but mostly she had to work for things Claire might take for granted.

The trip was not planned as a China only destination; it was an around-the-world trip. China was the first major destination. The problems started in pre-1997 Hong Kong, where a traveler could get a taste of travel conditions in China. The two wanted to experience “real” traveling, not the type of travel where tourists stayed in western hotels, ate western food only, took package tours, and returned home confident in new found knowledge of a foreign culture. Their first experiences in Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions should have warned them of the too much and too extreme realities to come.

There are excellent descriptions of people they encountered a dilettante western woman with her children, a Chinese volunteer helper who probably wanted their help to get out of China, and various Italians, Germans, and Australians with various agenda for fun. Then there was the totally unexpected Chinese lady named Lisa located in the “middle of nowhere” who worked in a restaurant and cooked food like mom made.

It is difficult for me to discover when Claire’s mental health began to deteriorate, but once it did, the slide into paranoia and strange behavior was steady. Susan recognized a danger that is still present for travelers in more remote areas today. Host governments must deal with problem tourists. If part of the management results in incarceration, there are new diplomatic and political problems. Sometimes it is just easier if the problem foreigner disappears. These problems are somewhat described and hinted at in “Fielding’s Guide to Dangerous Places”. Susan and Claire did not have that guide, but Susan discerned the problem.

Susan and Claire’s “escape” from a dangerous situation probably could not be replicated in the age of the internet, but it is also true that their problems would not have advanced to such a degree if modern day communication equipment had been available. Nevertheless, their story of returning home followed by the story of Susan’s return to China many years later are stories that make this a worthwhile book to read. It is a cautionary note for travelers and an inspiring story in its follow up to Lisa’s experience.
I can't even imagine how strange it must have been to travel to China in 1986 - I went in 2006 and was bothered a lot more than I expected by not having any way to communicate. Not being able to read the Chinese characters - not being able to speak or ask for directions...

Claire's descent into mental illness is visible to us, but yes, at the time, I can see how some of it could be written off as the stress of traveling with a near-stranger.

The book did leave me feeling unfinished, with no follow up on Claire.
I enjoyed this book. The writer wrote with an honesty and sense of humour that lightened up what could have been a depressing story. As someone who had traveled in China, I particularly enjoyed her description of China in 1984 when it just opened up to tourism. Yet really had no infrastructure to feed or provide tourists with an environment they would find comfortable. Susan Gilman wrote a very convincing account of the serious changes her travel partner experienced during this daunting excursion. As a mental health worker of 15 years, I am very familiar with the type of behavior the main character was observing as her friend became more vulnerable. I think she did an excellent job of showing the amazing kindness of the Chinese people, even when experiencing austere poverty. The book was hard to put down, the characters came to life and were all different, not without flaws. She captured "the coming of age" that many youth experience when going "outside their comfort zone" and seeing that the world is a very complicated place. I really enjoyed the earthy quality Gilman captures, the way she pulls the story together and the moving way she wraps it up.