Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Hypocrite in a White Poufy Dress, a memoir about two friends who discover China and nearly lose themselves.

In 1986, fresh out of college, Susan Jane 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 the astonishing true story of hubris and redemption told with Gilman's trademark compassion, lyricism, and wit.

“[A] standout travel memoir . . .crackles with wit.” —Booklist

“An entertaining memoir . . .offering the full wallop of disorienting, in-the-moment, transformative travel adventures.” —Publishers Weekly

“[An] ambitious and intimate coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus

“With her trademark intelligent, irreverent voice Gilman takes us on a journey that feels terrifyingly real, immediate and life-threatening. “—Alexandra Fuller, New York Times–bestselling author of Fi: A Memoir of My Son