Tuesday, February 23, 2010

UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN BLOG TOUR: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
UNDRESS ME IN THE
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

BY SUSAN JANE GILMAN

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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.

About Author

Susan Jane Gilman is the author of Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress and Kiss My Tiara. She has written commentary for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Ms. magazine, among others, and her fiction and essays have received several literary awards. Though she has lived most recently in Geneva, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C., she remains, eternally, a child of New York.



Unsurprisingly, they quickly found themselves in over their heads--hungry, disoriented, stripped of everything familiar, and under constant government surveillance. Soon, they began to unravel--one physically, the other psychologically. As their journey became increasingly harrowing, they found themselves facing crises that Susan didn't think they'd survive. But by summoning strengths she never knew she had--and with help from unexpected friends--the two travelers found their way out of a Chinese heart of darkness.

UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN is a flat-out page-turner, an astonishing true story of naïveté, friendship, and redemption told with Susan's trademark compassion and humor.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SUSAN JANE GILMAN has written commentary for the New York Times, Ms., US, and the Los Angeles Times, among others. Winner of several literary awards for her fiction and essays, she is a native New Yorker who currently lives in "rent exile" in Washington, D.C.
VISIT SUSAN'S WEBSITE HERE!


REVIEW:


In 1986, on almost a whim after a discussion about a place mat at the IHOP, friends Susan Gilman and Claire Van Houten decide to backpack around the world starting their adventures in the People’s Republic of China. Having just graduated from Brown, THE Ivy League School that it is, these two girls were no more ready for this trip than I would have been at their age (or now, probably, for that matter). With Susan, a New York City girl who worked on scholarship to get through college, and Claire, from the wealthy don’t-want-for-anything-suburbs, we have a pair who are naïve as well as reckless, and so wind up experiencing everything from the beauty of the land and the people, to the horrors only girls so innocent and trusting could find themselves in on such a trek.

At first, Susan is homesick, especially in that Claire challenged her to take the trip from the start, and so Susan calls home frequently. As things develop, however, Susan‘s city street smarts kick in while Claire begins to experience emotional difficulties and things start to unravel for her. There are several warning signs that Claire is going downhill fast and that can only spell trouble for both of them but especially Susan. The story is a true adventure for Gilman and had a huge effect on her and they way she looked at things in the world afterwards. She tells the readers about this and does it in such an endearing way, it just adds to the love you will have for this book. This is a can't-put-it-down memoir that I had wanted to read for a long while and am so glad I finally did. Do not miss UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MIRIAM AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE

FIVE COPIES OF THIS WONDERFUL
MEMOIR/BOOK
TO GIVEAWAY!


--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER

+1 ENTRY: GO TO AUTHOR SUSAN JANE GILMAN'S WEBSITE HERE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND IN HER FULL BIOGRAPHY THERE

+1 MORE ENTRY:
BECOME A FAN OF SUSAN'S ON HER FACEBOOK PAGE HERE:
Facebook Fan Page, AND COME BACK AND TELL ME

+1 MORE ENTRY:
VISIT ONE OTHER BLOG TOUR STOP AND COMMENT THERE AND TELL ME WHOSE BLOG YOU WENT TO (THEY ARE LISTED BELOW)

BONUS ENTRIES: WATCH FOR MY FABULOUS, HILARIOUS, DON'T-WANT-TO-MISS INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN JANE GILMAN LATER TODAY AND THERE WILL BE MORE CHANCES TO ENTER!!!!

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MARCH 13

Tour Participants/Dates
February 22
http://readingatthebeach.com
http://frugalplus.com/
http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
http://onemorefoggynotion.blogspot.com/
http://bookseriesreviews.blogspot.com/
February 23
http://foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com
http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/
http://booksnyc.blogspot.com
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com
February 24
http://www.rundpinne.com
http://popculturenerd.com
http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com
http://blesstheirheartsmom.blogspot.com
http://therempels4.blogspot.com
http://thedmlibrary.blogspot.com
February 25
http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.madeleineatbooksandphotos.com/
http://www.mgpblog.com
http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com
http://metroreader.blogspot.com
February 26
http://my-book-views.blogspot.com
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com
http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com
http://booknaround.blogspot.com
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/

54 comments:

traveler said...

This fascinating travel memoir interests me greatly. Thanks for the chance. The author is talented and has written for newspapers and magazines. Fiction and non-fiction. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I commented on Reading at the Beach blog on her review of this book. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

bermudaonion said...

Both my mom and I really enjoyed this book too. Don't enter me.

Margie said...

The author is afraid of clowns and puppets!
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

I'd really like to read this book. I made a comment on Book Journey's review.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

StephTheBookworm said...

Ooh, please enter me in! I went to her site and saw that she has been on TV a few times which is cool. The picture of her at age 2 is so cute too!

stephaniet117(at)yahoo(dot)com

FlyFreeMyBooks said...

Sounds like a very interesting memoir. I'd love to enter. But you always have to make us jump through hoops don't you... :o)
Okay, I visited her website and found it interesting that she was kicked out of secretarial school. Must be a good story there too. :o)

ludeluh at yahoo dot com

FlyFreeMyBooks said...

I commented on the review at Bookjourney.
ludeluh at yahoo dot com

Reading said...

Please count me in. She is afraid of clown! So am i! Some can be so scary.

lizzi0915 at aol mdot com

Pam said...

I think she's so funny! The fact that she got kicked out of Secretarial school and never meant to be funny, in fact, aspiring to be "An American Dostoevsky with breasts" is hilarious!

melacan at hotmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

She is very funny as is her writing although she never planned on that. She figured she would be an "American Dostoevsky with breasts".

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Denny, Alaska said...

I find it interesting that she worked as a speech and staff writer for a member of Congress (I wonder which member?).

Thanks!

denny(dot)gill(at)gmail(dot)com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I too took especial notice of the fear of clowns and puppets - that would be me as well!

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

Unknown said...

I think it's very interesting that Ms. Gilman was a speech writer in Washington D.C. for Congress. That type of writing seems quite different than her books! I always loved her list of prior occupations including waitress and legal aid, though I'm wondering, just a little bit, what that means! I also think it's fantastic tht she was taught by Frank McCourt.

Thank you for this giveaway!

Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I signed up as a fan of Susn Jane Gilman's Facebook page.


Aimala127 T gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I visited the blog One More Foggy Notion on the blog tour for "Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven". A great new blog to follow, thank you!

Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

rubynreba said...

I found it interesting that she was kicked out of Betty Owen Secretarial School.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

I visited Frugal Plus and commented on her blog for this book.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

enyl said...

I love adding memiors to my classroom library.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

enyl said...

On the author's website I learned that she wants to be the American Dostoevsky;Dostoevsky is my favorite liteary auhtor.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

enyl said...

I visted Drey's Library and commented on the Feb Feature Author . . .Shares Some Thoughts.

enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

g.g. said...

She went to Stuyvesant High School and so she must have been a very good student as they only take really bright kids!

anjamie4 AT gmail dot com

g.g. said...

I went to Bless Their Hearts Mom blog and entered her giveaway and looked around as I had never been there before

anjamie4 AT gmail dot com

Colleen Turner said...

I thought it was interesting that she was forced to learn Transcendental Meditation as a child...you don't hear that much!
Colleen
candc320@gmail.com

Colleen Turner said...

I became a fan on facebook. Yay...another good author to follow! I love finding new authors.
Colleen
candc320@gmail.com

Vera said...

I find it interesting that she never set out to write books that make people laugh...even though they do!

vvperesk@gmail.com

Wickdogg said...

She is afraid of clowns and so am I!

wickdogg AT gmaildot com

Wickdogg said...

I visited bookchicks and read the review there

wickdogg AT gmaildot com

Icedream said...

This book has been on my wish list since it came out in hardback..but clueless..I didn't realize Gilman was also the author of Hypocrite In A Poofy White Dress, which I loved! :P I'm loosing it.

Icedream said...

I became a fan of Susan's on Facebook- I am Waitman Willie on facebook.

waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com

Icedream said...

I commented on Drey's Library blog too.

waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com

Aik said...

Susan was born and raised in New York City.She appeared twice on “The Today Show” for promotion of books as well as ABC
World News; WGN-America; WCAU-TV "The 10!" in Philadelphia; "AM Northwest" on ABC in
Portland, OR; NBC affiliates in New Haven & Seattle; “Connie Martinson Talks Books";“The
Iyanla Show"; “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”

aikychien at yahoo dot com

Rebecca Orr said...

I am a Facebook fan of Susan's Facebook page: Bekki Orr
bekki1820cb at gmail

Rebecca Orr said...

I found it interesting that she was a student of Frank McCourt's. I used to live a few houses down from his summer home in Milford, PA when I was about 10, I used to see him taking walks with his wife. My mom has his books (which I still have yet to read...shame on me). Thanks for the chance. bekki1820cb at gmail

LoveMyCoffee said...

She was born and raised in New York City. She's also written for newspapers and magazines.

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

LoveMyCoffee said...

I have been trying to get my hands on this book for forever. The library doesn't have it, nor does the elibrary.
I follow your blog

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

Misusedinnocence said...

She's afraid of clowns and puppets, just like me!

misusedinnocence@aol.com

nfmgirl said...

I love that she was "armed only with the collected works of
Nietzsche and an astrology book" when she head to Shanghai!

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

Benita said...

I find it interesting that she worked as Washington D.C. speech writer and as staff writer for Member of U.S. Congress.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

ossmcalc said...

I find it funny that she paid $17 to see a bunch of "ho-hum dildos" when she toured a Sex Machines Museum in Prague.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I am now a Fan of Susan's on Facebook.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I went to the blog for Frugal Plus. Jill has already had her giveaway for "Undress Me In the Temple Of Heaven." I had entered as much as I could but was not selected as a winner.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

Debbie F said...

I found out the author is afraid of clowns! My brothers is too!

dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Debbie F said...

I would love to read this - it sounds so interesting! Please enter me!

dcf_beth at verizon dot net

M. said...

What a great sounding book! I love offbeat travel memoir.

I commented at chickwithbooks, and was amazed to learn there is such a thing as a sex machines museum. or sex "machines", for that matter!

mayamissani AT yahoo DOT ca

catss99 said...

I learned from her blog that she's been living abroad for awhile now and getting confused about the temperate metric.
catss99@yahoo.com

catss99 said...

i became a fan on facebook under amanda v
catss99@yahoo.com

409cope said...

I learned that Susan was once a speech writer and staff writer for Member of U.S. Congress. cardshark42(at)hotmail(dot)com

DarcyO said...

I learned she aspired to be an American Dostoevsky with breasts.

dlodden at frontiernet dot net

Unknown said...

FB fan

Unknown said...

Co-host of "Bookmark," a monthly book show on World Radio Switzerland. aitmama {{ta}} gmail {{tod}} com

Nancye said...

Facebook fan of Susan

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

Interesting fact: Susan got kicked out of Betty Owen Secretarial School. Ooooh! I wonder why??

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

I commented/ entered at "My Blog View". Who knows, maybe my name will be picked?

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

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