The Volunteer and OMG!!! I'm Naked in School!

[Blake Skies]

First and foremost let me make something clear: I haven't finished OMG!!! I'm Naked in School yet however after six chapters i feel like i have a very good handle on the story. Which is why i'm clumping it in with my review of The Volunteer. Also be mindful that these are strictly my professional opinions and I do not intend to deny anyone the option of reading these novels just be wary that this critique may sway opinions.

With that said let's get the one I did finish out of the way first. According to the description on Amazon about The Volunteer:

Many people dream of being at work or school only to realize that they are naked. For university student Danielle Keaton, this dream is about to become her reality. Facing the consequences of a severe lack of judgement, she is forced to make a choice: either give up her scholarships and her plan for graduating from college debt-free, or volunteer to be the test subject in a unique sociological study that will leave her naked and vulnerable to the entire university and eventually the world.

And that's pretty much all you need to know about what you're going to get with this story. At it's heart it is nothing more than an Embarrassed Nude Female story tied in with a Nude Female Clothed Male plot line. What set's this apart from the crowd, though barely, is that Danielle Keaton is stripping down to take part in a "Social experiment" following in the footsteps of Andrew Martinez. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Martinez

And personally that's where the book both shines and looses me. It shines because "Hey Pro-nudity, social reform, and a great way to break the bonds of that Taboo." But outside of media coverage that I would question the severity of, it never really evolves into something substantial. And that's why it looses me. Call me crazy but if I'm gonna see a story that advertises "Female empowerment! Bringing about changing view points on Nudity" (And yes it did have that in it's advertising market on Amazon.com.) than forgive me for being pissed when I don't see it. Aside from some cheep grammatical errors the way it's set up feels like it's trying to say something more but it really isn't

There really isn't anything Pro-nudity about it, it's more of an excuse for getting Danielle into as many embarrassing situations as possible and practical. On occasion you'll see a flash of something more but it quickly fades into the background. What Danni goes through is nothing to shake a stick at however, as the book does do an admirable job of conveying the sheer terror she experiences. but like i said whatever substance you may find fades fast.  Now i walked away from The Volunteer more disappointed than angry and i suppose the reason why was I was looking for something different. I guess what i want to see is a more...pro-active Nudist discovery/integration story which i'll expand upon later.


Now that that's out of the way let's switch to OMG!!! I'm Naked in School! 6 chapters in and i can feel that this is a carbon copy of The Volunteer. Anyway whats the description:

At some time in their life most everyone has experienced a dream where they find themselves naked in a public place. Yet, Carolyn Timmons, a senior at Linda Vista High isn’t dreaming. In fact, she hasn’t slept a wink all night. As one of eighteen female and male students taking part in a controversial new study, when the sun comes up, she must remain naked 24/7 while attending school, driving her car, and even when she goes out on a date. Based upon the true story of a group of teenagers in Bratlesboro, Vt. who decided to go naked for the summer, pretty, young Carolyn must learn to adapt to life without clothes. After disrobing backstage, the principal formally presents Carolyn and the other participants to an assembly of the entire school body. Over the coming weeks, going to classes, hanging out with her friends, and finally, when she performs as a member of the drill team during halftime at the homecoming football game, Carolyn grows bolder and more confident as she faces every challenge imaginable while living life as a naked teenage girl. Seen through her eyes as well as her emotions, each reader will find themselves voyeuristically drawn into the situation of being naked in public to the point where you cannot help but ask yourself: “What if this was me?”

Which leaves me worried. At points it feels like the author learned from the mistakes of The Volunteer and at other points not so much. At least in this case it's not just Carolyn whose naked but 17 other students as well which gives an interesting dynamic. And it's this dynamic that i'm looking for. I wanna see a "Little Rock Nine-esc" concept that can be done with Nudism, though the pretense of this being a social experiment gives me pause, but at the moment I feel like i'm getting what i'm asking for. On the other hand, the cracks are beginning to show. It's clear from the outset that this is again an ENF/CMNF storyline and doesn't seem to be willing to move past that. Now i may be wrong once i finish it, but at the moment i ain't holding my breath.