Overview

What do you know about Idaho other than potatoes or maybe that Ernest Hemingway killed himself here? NAN KILMER BAKER grew up in this sparsely populated northwestern state, a skittish Catholic raised in a town full of eccentric characters who intrigued her enough to write about them years later. Welcome to NAKED JOY, where the author's heroine AUNT MILLIE raises peacocks, sews an elaborate wardrobe for her detergent bottles, campaigns for JESUS and ignores her sinister husband. Tortured by her mother's hideous shoes and insensitivity, BAKER is traumatized when before she knows the word ""cancer,"" the town surgeon cuts off her neighbor CLAIRE'S right leg. An unforgettable visit to the prosthetic factory results as she joins CLAIRE and her glamorous mother while they shop for the perfect new limb. HEMINGWAY chose not to write about Idaho, perhaps because he wanted to keep it as his secret getaway. And get away is what BAKER longs to do while growing up in the ""Gem State."" She escapes to attend college and spend a romantic year ""studying"" in Italy. Next the graduate heads east only to find work as a night receptionist catering to more lunatics. After enduring odd jobs and grad school, she marries and moves to Japan. There tragedy strikes, so the shaken new mother moves on to Thailand to experience a cavernous house full of maids, geckos, and the occasional snake. Eventually our world traveler returns to the states where she suffers ""Reverse Culture Shock"" and subjects herself to the horrors of retail. Not cut out for sales, she moves on to survive a stint as a spy while living outside the nation's capital. A collection of charming, quirky, occasionally disturbing tales, NAKED JOY pulls back the curtain on life as observed through the probing eyes of a sensitive, small town girl turned worldly woman. While some writers have stories, others have their own unique voice and way of looking at matters. Warm, witty, and honest, Nan Kilmer Baker shares both.

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9780997779516

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Reviews

Enter the quirky, beguiling world of NAKED JOY, where an eccentric cast of characters is waiting to delight, charm, and occasionally horrify. Meet Uncle Elmer and his odd hobby, a bottle of dish detergent sporting haute couture, a nightmare nanny, and celebrate Toilet Day in Japan. Much more than a memoir, NAKED JOY takes you from Idaho to the Far East, from New York City to Texas, where all you can expect is the unexpected. Ultimately, Baker's extraordinary adventure is the tale of a small town girl blossoming into a bold, confident woman. It's a journey you'll never want to end, with characters you will never forget. -Judith O'Brien Author, Ashton's Bride Nan Kilmer Baker's exuberant collection of essays is a delight, whether she's recounting her time as a Jackie O look-alike in Manhattan, an expat bride in Asia, or a spy in suburban Washington. Here's a special voice for a special generation of Baby Boomer women-one that's honest, mischievous and leavened with a soupcon of Idaho. -Susan Sachs Award-winning Journalist/Writer/ Professor, Paris Institute of Political Studies I have enjoyed reading Nan Kilmer Baker's collection of essays, since she writes with skill, with warmth, and with wit. I especially like the childhood pieces about growing up in Nampa, Idaho, and the particular details of that childhood and youth. She is a finely skilled and attractive young writer. -Alan Lelchuk Author, Brooklyn Boy and Searching for Wallenberg

Author Information

Nan Kilmer Baker hails from Idaho, the Famous Potato"" state, where she began writing as a young girl and never looked back--moving from diary entries to ghost writing term papers to copy writing. Naked Joy is her first book, but in her dependably quirky blog she has been musing for years about topics as diverse as Mr. Clean, travel, toilets, butter and stain removal. Nan is the mother of tow young adults. Having lived abroad for years, she currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband--and other treasures she collected during her travels.

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