Customer Reviews

Children of the Sun

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a delight from beginning to end and a necessary education for those who think that hippies first appeared in the sixties or that raw foodism is a new thing. I was particularly fascinated to learn of the connections such big names as Mahatma Gandhi and Hermann Hesse had to these early free thinkers, many of whom were vegans, raw foodists, and nudists.

_Children of the Sun_ also has much of interest for students of German history, owing to the fact that most of these alternative health groundbreakers were of German origins and were continuing a long tradition of social and health reform in that country.

Mr. Kennedy has done some excellent research, digging up photos from as far back as 1883 and historical text from much earlier. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Until I read Gordon Kennedy's research into the German nature cults that flowered in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but whose roots preceded the Roman Empire, I did not fully understand my own art, writing and music, or my own life. Unbeknownst to me until I read Kennedy's books, my books Living on the Earth and Being of the Sun express fully the health practices and joie de vivre of those bygone frolicking pagan nudists. They are my true ancestors, the parents who would be proud if they could see me now. The naturist subculture lives on, and occasionally has its day in the sun, Children of the Sun being a case in point.

Anyone influenced by counterculture, and all students of history and sociology, will want a copy of Children of the Sun, or, at the very least, Kennedy's scaled down pamphlet version Hippie Roots and the Perennial Subculture, if only for the gorgeous photographs of the freaks of old, and the documentary/psychedelic art by German painter Fidus (1868-1948). No less thrilling are the revelations about Ascona, a counterculture settlement peopled by the likes of Hermann Hesse, Carl Jung, Isadora Duncan, D.H. Lawrence, Arnold Ehret and Franz Kafka in the early decades of the twentieth century. Kennedy notes the influence of the naturists upon Gandhi, and the dawn of the ecology, naturopathy, and youth hostel movements, including an astonishing environmental manifesto by Goethe.

Kennedy points out that feminism, vegetarianism, pacifism, communitarianism, organic farming, earth spirituality, fasting, raw food diets, and nudism flourished among these German counterculturals, some of whom moved to subtropical parts of the USA, often southern California, to avoid the rising imperialism and materialism of their homeland at the turn of the century. Settling in (then) remote areas of pristine beauty, including Tahquitz Canyon, near Palm Springs, they mentored the American naturists known in the 1930's, 40's and 50's as Nature Boys. The most famous of these were eden ahbez, who wrote the jazz standard "Nature Boy," and Gypsy Boots, who appeared often on the Steve Allen Show, and influenced countless baby boomer hippies through his writings, performances, and recordings.

I can easily imagine Kennedy's books inspiring documentaries, dramatic feature films, and museum exhibits.

gordon kennedy has done an amazing job tracking the history of the sunfood movement. starting back before the turn of the 1900's and continuing through until 1949, he chronicles the major players and movements started in true health reform. chapters include doctors, artists, political anarchists, and other truth seekers in their attempts to share the wonders of raw foods with the world. chapters included touch base with heroes such as dr. louis kuhne, who thought that "he who will improve the world must speak openly of its errors."; dr. lust a german naturopath who looked at natural means - mainly diet - to heal dis-ease; and the california nature boys who slept in the open and ate a natural uncooked diet bring natural living to a whole new group of americans. this book is highly recommended because of the great pictures and the amazing amount of information included in the pages!! great job gordon!! buy this book today!!

Transcript of Radio Broadcast continues...

Of greater interest to us on the Alternative Health Report (radiocentreville.com) are the persons most directly influential in the Nature Cure movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Sebastien Kneipp, Aldolf Just, Louis Kuhne, Benedict and Louisa Lust, Arnold Rikli, Arnold Ehret, Otto Craque, John and Vera Richter. As well, there were other personalities such as Bernarr Macfadden, Henry Lindlahr and a host of local health and healing heroes who followed along.

GORD KENNEDY has saved their names,preserved their legacy, and reaffirmed their spirits and this brings a certain delight to the knowlegable reader. On one hand KENNEDY shows the connection and influence that shaped the Naturopathic movement. On the other the renaissence Raw Food-Vegan movement which is now in the militant forefront of vegetarian food reform. Pioneers in this field include Arnold Ehret, Herman Sexauer, John and Vera Richter and Otto Craque and of course, the original Nature Boys of the 1940's (Eden Abbez, the best known of the group who wrote "Nature Boy"- the big hit of '48 . The book offers short biographical sketches of these pioneers and their contributions.

I found that this book is an easy read with lots of eye pleasing photos and art work. In fact the book is mainly pictures! Overall, a modest GORD KENNEDY, who bills himself as editor, has brought together, in this book, those unique and highly interesting social trends and ideas, like Eastern religions, nudist groups, and organic foods (along with lots of pleasing visuals) which only a short century ago were unusual, radical and revolutionary. Kennedy shows us how it all began. ...And, yet, today it all seems so mainstram America!

WELL WORTH THE PRICE!!! GET & CHERISH YOUR OWN COPY!!!

MORT FRIEDLAND

A treasury of vintage photographs documenting the personages and groups of turn-of-the-century naturist movements (including nudism, organic farming, naturopathy, etc.) accompanied by brief biographical sketches and artwork from the period by Fidus. Makes evident that naturism in modern times arose out of specific metaphysical and ethical philosophies and life-practices. With index and bibliography, this slim volume represents a substantial contribution to nudist studies.

Who were the first hippies in modern times? What did they do? How did they live? This book answers these questions with the biographies of 16 people who taught and followed a hippie philosophy and lifestyle in Europe and the U.S. It discusses four different social reform movements that embraced pre-hippie philosophy.

But the real joy here is the 144 b/w & color photos of the people, the art and publications that represented the people and their movements. An unexpected delight is the full color art work of Fidus who obviously influenced the psychedelic poster art of the 1960s.

Starting in Germany in the 1880's, Kennedy documents the people, places and ideas that led to the American Hippy Movement of the 1960s. The Lebensreform (Land Reform), Naturmenschen (Natural Men) and Wandervogel (migrant birds/free spirits) movements inspired many to leave the cities, their jobs, and even their clothes behind, to setup natural communities in the countryside. The leaders of these movements espoused living in tune with nature, embraced naturopathy, nudism and vegetarianism and rejected the hypocrisy and distorted values of German society.

Fortunately some of the followers of these movements moved to the U.S. and their healthy living ideas caught on, particularly in California. One of these, Arnold Ehret, was the founder of the Mucusless Diet and a big proponent of fasting. Soon barefoot nature boys were gathering at "health food" stores in California. One of them, eden ahbez, composed a song, "Nature Boy" while living in a cave. That song, sung by Nat King Cole ended up being a #1 hit for 15 weeks, and for awhile in 1948 focused attention on the radical philosophy embraced by these nature lovers. It was these "nature boys" who spread their influential ideas across America and inspired the flower children in the 1960s.

Kennedy's book lays to rest the idea that the hippy movement was just a 60s fad. It fills in the gaps in hippie history and serves as an inspiration to us all to continue to pass on our beliefs and lifestyle to younger generations.

This book is wonderful-it provides the history and background of the early counterculture in Germany. There is wonderful art and even some glossy photos. The people are beautiful, along with the ideas they support. I highly recommend it for the great insight and perspective one can experience just through flipping the pages. I also read this book for the information on acclaimed authors that sprang out of this time and place in history-for instance Hermann Hesse.

A classic of Nature Cure literature,both beautiful andintriguing.And finally a book that does justice to our Heroes!

This book covers alot of ground. Gordon Kennedy's book is an overview of both the people and various counter-culture movements within Germany from the late-19th to mid-20th century. For those looking for heavy historical background on the various movements, this might not be for you except perhaps to augment other works. This is, as it says on the cover, a pictorial anthology primarily with a basic history of each. It is the pictures that make this work both intriguing and invaluable. Published on the 2000th anniversary of Tacitus' "Germania" and definately shows pagan cracks in the Christian pavement. :) Personally, I loved the works of Fidus that are reprinted in this work. The only problem that I had was that it wasn't long enough, though that doesn't detract from the work itself. :) Also, if you are diehard in your beliefs that hippies and the counter-culture movement started in the 1960's...prepare for a harsh awakening.

This is an invaluable resource for anyone who wishes to discuss either nudism or the naturist movement. I have been reading about nudism for over ten years now and this book have me volumes of information I had never heard before. It's terse and at times stilted, but just invaluable. Good illustrations, too. A sure win!