Matthew Polly is an American author and former martial artist who writes about martial arts. His books include American Shaolin, Tapped Out, and Bruce Lee: A Life. Career. Polly graduated from Topeka West High School. In 1992, at the age of 21 years, Polly took a leave of absence from Princeton University and traveled to China to train at the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and kung fu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Polly