Secrets of Bali: Fresh Light on the Morning of the World is one of the best and most delightful (and intellectually stimulating) books ever written about the magical island of Bali. Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni take you eight secret, seductive degrees south of the equator for a cultural feast of explanation and information, Bali-Hindu enchantment, and art-filled wonder. The reader is taken into a mystical world of gods and goddesses, exotic Balinese village cuisine, opulent religious ceremonies, the ancient wayang kulit shadow puppet theater, and extravagant, lava stone temple architecture. As you read this important contribution to the permanent literature on Bali, you can hear the gamelan orchestra play, taste pemangku-dispensed sacred holy water, watch transfixed at a fire-born trance dance, and revel in the beauty of Bali's continual cycle of intricate rice field rituals.

The smiling faces of the devout Balinese shine through on every single page--as does the incredible depth of social and historical research on the legendary island of the gods. Jonthan and Ni Wayan Murni are situated near the village of Ubud (obad means medicine)--the creative and spiritual epicenter of Bali. Surrounded by emerald rice fields, artisans, painters, Balinese dance troupes, sculptors, sacred healers and balian, yoga studios, spas, and royal palaces, they were ideally positioned to create this eye-opening, literary masterpiece (and resource) about their beloved island of Bali. Congratulations!

This review was written by Dr. Vivienne Kruger, author of Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (Tuttle Publishing, Periplus), 2014.