Mark Haskell Smith Naked At Lunch

With all the Reality TV shows leaning more on nudity. Naked and Afraid and more. Mark Haskell Smith felt it was time to jump into the core of a lifestyle that remains un-talked about. Life as a nudist. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut We have reached a point where people are “Naked and Afraid” and “Dating Naked” on TV, where being naked seems on the one hand to be having a cultural moment. And yet on the other, there are widespread crackdowns on public nudity, from the closure of naked beaches across the country to the 2013 legislation banning public nudity for the first time in San Francisco. Mark Haskell Smith, comic novelist turned participatory journalist, knew that there is only one way to get a true perspective on the world of nudism. You guessed it, get naked. The result is NAKED AT LUNCH: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World (Grove Press; June 2, 2015; 978-0-8021-2351-0). After a consult with his dermatologist on proper sunscreen application, Haskell Smith is off to his first nudist resort in Palm Springs. From there he continues to explore the world of nudism, from the mundane—grocery shopping sans clothes in France—to the adventurous—scaling Austrian Alps on the Naked European Walking Tour. He caps off his adventures with a week on the Big Nude Boat, a Caribbean cruise full of nudists. Along the way Haskell Smith reports on the fascinating history of nudism, and interviews nudists and naturists of every stripe, seeking to understand both what motivates people to go au naturel, as well as the stigma they often face. Praise for NAKED AT LUNCH: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World: “Throwing both caution and clothing to the wind, novelist and journalist Haskell Smith strikes a winning combination of personal and journalistic narrative as he investigates the appeal of nudism…Haskell Smith’s empathy and genuine interest…make this account both informative and entertaining. He’s usually laughing with his subjects rather than at them, and the arc of his education on this topic makes for a witty and insightful read.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “With solid reporting and scholarship, Smith delves into the genesis of the global nudism movement… Smith makes you laugh and think. A thoughtful and entertaining analysis of why so many still want to ditch their clothes and let it all hang out.” —Kirkus Reviews