The Monk of Park Avenue

A novelist and martial arts master recounts his spiritual journey of self-discovery through tragedy and redemption in this memoir—from the author of the award-winning Mad Monk Manifesto.

"This book will completely absorb your attention from the beginning." —Emanuele Pettener, PhD, assistant professor of Italian and writer in residence at Florida Atlantic University

A kaleidoscopic ride through the upper echelons of New York society and the nature-worshipping, sword-wielding world of East Asian religious and martial arts, Monk of Park Avenue divulges a privileged childhood in Manhattan, followed by the bitter rigors of kung fu in China and meditations in Daoist temples. Join Yon Rou's adventure as he encounters kings, Nobel laureates, and the Mob. Witness this martial master's incarceration in a high-mountain Ecuadorian hellhole and fight for survival in Paraguay's brutal thorn jungle.

A story of love, loss, persistence, triumph, and mastery, The Monk of Park Avenue is peopled with the likes of Milos Forman, Richard Holbrooke, Paul McCartney, Warren Beatty and now-infamous opioid purveyors, the Sackler Family. Yun Rou's memoir is no mere celebrity tell-all, but one man's path to finding himself.

"Yun Rou's spiritual quest is one we can all relate to: seeking (and finding) balance in a topsy-turvy world. Highly recommended." —Gregory Ripley, author of Tao of Sustainability

The Monk of Park Avenue offers you:
Paths for personal and spiritual growthAnecdotal stories of self-discovery and insights into how to liveAn eloquent, candid exploration of spiritual transformation
If you loved Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, To Shake the Sleeping Self, or Lao Tzu by Ursula K. Le Guin, you'll love The Monk of Park Avenue.