Aglow Kindle Edition

Aglow is two stories masterfully woven into one. The first is an adventurous quest to learn more about specific indigenous people of 16th century people of Central America and South America on a crusade to save a large section of the Amazon rain forest. The reader learns that historians in search of knowledge and truth have much in common with Sherlock holmes. The plot line draws you immediately with intrigues, mysteries and endearing characters.The secondary storyline seamlessly introduces the reader to joys of naturism. Ze, the man on a mission to save the Amazon, kidnaps Marisol, the protagonist, to induce her to help him accomplish his goal. Her next surprise, much to her chagrin, is to find out Ze lives in a household of nudists. By using her curiosity to draw her into his project, Ze temps her by explaining his objective and asking her to translate the ancient writings which will help him succeed.On top of being there involuntarily, Marisol is put off being in a house occupied by naked people, though she adapts to it rather quickly. Ze immediately tries to win her over, not only by tempting her with the translation, but also by his charm, which he has in abundance. He soon tells Marisol she is free to go, but tells her that he sincerely hopes she will stay voluntarily. Drawn in, she stays, tempted by the project and on some level Ze's irresistible charm. The research begins. Though Ze will be nude on every practical occasion, Marisol will clearly have nothing to do with it. Like most people, that was not how she was raised, nor is public nudity in any way acceptable.Eventually two factors change her mind: a trip to a secluded beach where neither Marisol or Ze have swimsuits, and by force of Ze's irresistible charm. He strips off to go for a swim; Marisol, concluding the beach is deserted and increasingly curious about nudity, gives in. As most people do that give social nudity a try, she quickly realizes a number of things: that it doesn't really feel all that strange to be naked with someone that is also naked, that it is sensual not sexual, that it feels liberating and wonderful, that all fretting over an imperfect body goes away, and it is fun.To avoid giving too much away, I will simply relate how much I enjoyed this novel on several levels. As a history buff, I always love learning things I didn't know, in this case a bit ancient South American history. "Aglow" fed my love for mystery stories, for conflicts and challenges, and for romance. The novel also accomplished something else: it beautifully provided an overview of naturism, how innocuous social nudity is, how liberating and refreshing, how natural and human. It's not that nudists want to change the world, though we would love to change people's perspectives. Few nudists want to impose their nudity on those who do not want nothing to do with it, but we would like to have more places, such as sections of public beaches, city parks, national parks, etc. to be designated clothing optional. So if you are curious about nudity, follow through on that first step. If you want to read well-written and delightful novel, scroll back up and order your copy of Will Forest's book "Aglow".

The novel Aglow has a most unlikely premise. It opens with the mid-17th century Spanish conquest of Mexico, along with the Roman Catholic Church in its almost maniacal obliteration of the paganism of aboriginal religion and culture: author Will Forest describes a fury that extends to the absolute suppression of native nakedness on the part of the oh-so-overdressed Spanish priests and Conquistadores. Yet it appears that among the European victors in the fight there were a very few more enlightened men who saw to it that something of Aztec culture was salvaged and hidden away, to be found by a later generation with more sympathy for various pre-Columbian indigenous practices.Re-discovery of the hidden relics comes with an earthquake which shakes Mexico City in 2012, significantly damaging the oldest library in North America. But as this event is happening, a librarian from the University of Texas and a Brazilian collector of pre-Columbian codices and artifacts are helped by a young Mexican graduate student into a room that has just been opened by the earthquake. What follows from this is a fascinating multi-cultural multi-lingual romp which Forest, with his wild but not implausible inventiveness, weaves between the ancient document and related figurines, Mexican and Brazilian authorities and the cultures they defend, and borderlands that are preyed upon by an ever-encroaching energy industry and those who seek to defend that fast-disappearing territory. Along the way Forest deftly addresses not just the possibility of living naked, but autism, homosexuality and transgender identity, and a very difficult pregnancy, among other things, as issues with huge benefits to be derived from living naked. Intermixed with this weave is the realization that even in the pre-Columbian cultural history of Latin America there were cultural norms and that even then there was a counter-cultural transgressivity that protested those norms, and reaction to those protests. The conclusion to Aglow is startling: but as I noted before, it is not implausible.If you expect Aglow to be a novel about a handsome Brazilian taking a Mexican graduate student to a nude beach and getting her finally to undress, let me assure you: the scope of this novel is far greater than that. It’s too long to be a “manifesto” for living naked, I suppose; but far more than being another novel about the benefits of living one’s life free of clothes to the extent one can, this book is a good read with some fascinating twists and turns, and will give the attentive reader a number of things to think about, with its recognition that there is more than one way to inhabit and to see the large and fascinating world in which we all live.

Beautifully crafted intriguing melding of the stories of The Fountain of Youth and the Search for El Dorado through the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and European invasion of Central and South America to the true meaning of Home. A story of humanity misunderstood, suppressed, hidden, lost and rediscovered. A book not to be missed.

I really enjoyed this novel, one of the finest I have read in a long time! Hard to describe it; saying it focuses on the positivity of social nudity, ancient and modern cultural clashes and assymilations, and fascinating characters undergoing development and growth barely scratches the surface. Read with an open mind, ponder, learn, enjoy!

This was a pleasant book to read. I loved how it seemed to be well researched too, the details on history and the people were nice to see. My only wish was that there was more to the story!

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered why they should have to wear clothing over perfectly serviceable skin, especially if you like a good history tale. The book has so much that it just isn't enough to say that it leaves me uplifted... and more than a little aroused. A very well-told tale involving Mayan and Aztec lifeways, set in Mexico and Brazil, with a soupçon of culture-clashing Catholicism and a rich journey to naturist awareness.

Gut geschriebene Story, die in Südamerika im jetzt und vor Hunderten von Jahren spielt, mit den üblichen Zutaten einer guten Geschichte wie Gier und Ignoranz (die Bösen), Idealismus und Engagement, Romantik und - Naturismus. Letzteres macht die Geschichte für Naturisten und die, die es werden könnten, besonders interessant. Eines jener Bücher, die der aufgeschlossene Leser besser im Sommer liest.A story best enjoyed nude.