The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes by D.H. Jonathan

The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes Reviews

• 
  Will Forest

  D.H. Jonathan’s much awaited follow-up to his first novel, The ‘Volunteer’, is a great read and carves out satisfying trajectories for the characters. The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes picks up shortly after the events of the previous novel, and addresses the following questions, among others – what will Dani, the “Naked Girl,” do now that the social experiment has ended? Will Dr. Slater, the sociologist who devised the experiment, seek to develop the scenario further? And, will the same tolerance and acceptance that Dani received, also be extended to a “Naked Guy”?
  
  
  Author Jonathan cycles through three narrative perspectives over the course of the novel: Dani’s, Adam’s, and Michael’s. Adam is the cameraman and showrunner for a reality show based on Dani’s life, while Michael, a minor character in the first novel, is a student motivated by Dani’s example to try walking nude on campus. He is recruited by Dr. Slater as the subject of the second phase of her study. The real-life example of “Naked Guy” Andrew Martínez, the nude student at Berkeley, was mentioned as an inspiration in the first novel by Dr. Slater, and continues to inform the events of The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes. Another important background influence that informs the novel is the Old Testament book of Genesis, since the new campus chaplain at Coachella Valley University has a thing or two to say about how Christians need to accept that humanity was created in God’s image.
  
  But the most interesting springboard for the novel is the earlier novel itself, The ‘Volunteer’. Similar to Cervantes’ sequel to Don Quixote, in which the characters have read or heard of the book Don Quixote published ten years earlier, The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes is a kind of metafiction in which Dani is about to publish her book, The ‘Volunteer’. Her fame has attracted Adam’s attention, who manages to pitch a show based on Dani’s life to Netflix, although only with the help of a problematic producer. The show will be called The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes… and much of what we read in the novel involves the careful crafting of this “reality” show. How exactly does one create one’s reality? Is reality all just a big experiment? These are questions equally applicable to Don Quixote. Dr. Slater’s funds have allowed the campus to install cameras everywhere – something that facilitates the Russian-doll game of who is watching who’s reality – and the novel’s epilogue, set five years later, continues the filming-of-reality trope.
  
  This metafictional frame allows author Jonathan to finesse some of the assertions or perspectives from the first novel, by proclaiming them to be the consequence of editorial meddling, for example, or to have been hiding motives that are only now revealed. The result is a certain amount of suspense carried over from the first novel, which even affects the new characters such as Michael and the very assertive Debbie. Michael’s and Debbie’s confrontation with the insidious double standard against nudity–the one that goes something like ‘everybody wants to see a naked woman, but nobody wants to see a naked man’–ultimately threatens Dani’s hard-won nude freedom and Adam’s chance to make his career.
  
  Does the novel qualify as naturist fiction, or is it more properly a novel about social nudism, or a novel about people who go clothesfree in public? Given that Dani and Michael both defend their nudity by referring to nature and the natural state of humanity, and to the liberating and invigorating feeling of the elements on their skin, one can certainly argue that they are hoping to lead society toward not only a greater acceptance of nudity, but also of social nudism, or indeed naturism, as a way of life.
  
  There are a couple romantic relationships in the novel, and they are successfully and convincingly developed. The matter of Michael’s erections while nude is treated fairly realistically – as realistically as possible, I would argue. Author Jonathan also manages to include a life-modeling scene, where there are no doubt many elements drawn from his own decades-long experience as a life model. All in all, the novel is a compelling read that brings Dani’s nude-on-campus experience to a satisfying closure. I highly recommend it!
• 
  Michael Beyer

  This book is a sequel to the well-written tale of a young woman's nude experience in The Volunteer.
  It is also the rare sort of sequel that is as good if not better than the first book. This time around Dani, the main character of the first book, is only one of three rotating main characters who move the story forward from three different perspectives. This feels like the kind of clockwork structure of a story that reminds me of the award-winning works of David Mitchell, the author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks. This intricate tale involves a fictional Netflix docu-drama about Dani's life as a college student who never wears clothes, and it makes for a story that is enjoyable, insightful about human reactions in unusual situations, and a good representation of the nudist philosophy of life.
  I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Stan Hutchings

  The dramatic sequel to 'The Volunteer'
  
  This enjoyable story is a sequel to ‘The Volunteer’ (which really should be read first for full appreciation of this book) as it continues the story of Dani Keaton, who volunteered for a college project to be completely naked 24/7 for two months. She came to enjoy the experience so much she is still always nude on campus. She is joined by
  Michael, who joins the study. A producer makes a reality show, featuring Dani, for Netflix. The story read like it could have been true, despite the disclaimer that it is fictional.
• 
  Bill

  Nudity Not Nasty!!
  
  I grew up in the Methodist Church. So nudity at any point or age was unacceptable. However the few times I tried it at home was invigorating. But once my mother caught me, that was the end of that.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I commend the author on a well-written and engaging work. And I will gladly look for additional work.
• 
  Lostintime

  This was a different book.
  
  Amazon kept suggesting it to me and I thought it was a sort of erotica CMNF fantasy.
  
  It was instead a story about society and perceptions about our bodies. It was also a double love story.
  
  If you wish to experience a very different storyline this could be the book for you!
• 
  M.J. Edington

  I read every word naked!
  
  This was a fun read, and I enjoyed a positive message for nude freedom done well throughout the story.
  The one downer for me was Michael in the stairwell, but aside from that, the story was great.
• 
  Ted Bun

  A rare book ... a sequel that is better than the original.
  Dani has decided to continue her clothes free life at her university and written a book about her experience. Can it be made into a successful TV programe?
  Meanwhile, Dr Slater,the woman behind the project wants to start phase 2.
  Michael, like Dani an undergraduate, selects himself as the male Volunteer. Very soon he and Dani discover the challenges facing a naked man are different to those faced by an attractive young woman.
  
  A couple of romances weave their unrequited way through the book. Lots of making movies details and social behaviour explained too.
  
  One little thread dangling at the end ... Michael and ... ? (Almost a spoiler!) Dani? Dave? Samantha? Dr Slater? Mandy? Someone else?
• 
  D.H. Jonathan

  This is my long awaited sequel to The "Volunteer". I hope you enjoy it. I gave it five stars because I wrote it...
• 
  R. Wellvyne

  The "Volunteer" was a great book and The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes is a wonderful follow up! It takes the world and expands on it. Dani's story is continued while we also get a glimpse into the wider world, and her impact on it. We are treated to new characters and new experiences, while continuing to watch Dani grow.
  
  The tone is a bit different from The "Volunteer", as it is not just told from one character's point of view and Dani is no longer the embarrassed naked female she once was, but that gives the book room to explore new questions and themes.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!