UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN 2009

Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman’s new
memoir is a hilarious but harrowing journey.

In 1986, Gilman and a classmate embarked on a bold trek around the globe starting in the People’s Republic of China. At that point, China had been open to independent backpackers for roughly ten minutes.

Armed only with the collected works of Nietzsche and an astrology book, the two plunged into the dusty streets of Shanghai. 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 sinister, they found themselves facing crises Gilman didn’t think they’d survive. But by summoning strengths she never knew she had—and with help from unexpected friends—she and her friend found their way out of a Chinese heart of darkness. What began as a lighthearted adventure became a real-life international thriller that transformed them forever.

“Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven” is a flat-out page-turner, an astonishing true story of hubris, friendship, and redemption told with Gilman’s trademark lyricism and wit. — GCP’s book jacket