MARIA CARLUCCIO / THE I SPOT
The Foreign Service Journal is pleased to present our 25th annual Foreign Service authors roundup. With “In Their Own Write,” we celebrate the wealth of literary talent within the Foreign Service community and give our readers the opportunity to support their storytelling colleagues (in time for holiday shopping).
Many of these titles are excellent resources for anyone contemplating a career in international affairs. You can also find biographies, books on history and foreign policy, memoirs, works of fiction, young adult books, and more. All were written, edited, translated, and even narrated by Foreign Service personnel and their family members.
Additionally, we offer a selection of recent books “of related interest” to diplomats and their families that were not written by FS authors.
As always, we rely on the authors themselves to bring their books to our attention. If your recent book is not listed here or you have one forthcoming, please let us know, and we can add it to next year’s collection—for more information, email InTheirOwnWrite@afsa.org.
Note: Inclusion of a book in this collection does not imply endorsement by AFSA or the FSJ. AFSA welcomes the opportunity to share the news of books published by members of the FS community but does not vouch for the contents of the books.
—The Editors
MEMOIRS
Letters from Dorothy: Adventures in the U.S. Foreign Service
Dorothy Marita Forrant Blackledge, ed. Michael A. Blackledge, Blackledge Books, 2025, $37.99/hardcover, print only, 224 pages.
Dorothy Forrant was a recent high school graduate and skilled typist from Massachusetts when she joined the U.S. diplomatic team in 1928 for the Sixth International Conference of American States in Havana. As her Foreign Service career unfolded across the globe, with postings in Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Beijing (then Peking), she sent numerous letters home. Those letters and photos make up this 224-page memoir, which offers a unique window into Depression-era challenges as well as her own personal triumphs.
The 70-plus original letters that form the core of this memoir have been formally archived by the Massachusetts Historical Society, which established the Dorothy Forrant Blackledge Collection for her personal correspondence and artifacts. Additionally, the Young Men’s Library Association in Ware, Massachusetts, has created a Dorothy Forrant Collection to preserve further materials related to her life and legacy.
Dorothy Marita Forrant Blackledge was a secretary in the Foreign Service from 1927 to 1934. Her son, Michael Blackledge, compiled this memoir.
Between Movement and Meaning: What Two Decades of Travel and Service Taught Me About the World—and Where I Belong in It
Alexandre Cottin, independently published, 2026, $14.99/paperback, e-book available, 210 pages.
Between Movement and Meaning spans Alexandre Cottin’s experience on five continents over two decades—from Haitian cholera wards to remote clinics in South Sudan, from the Andes to the Himalayas, from a lost passport in Istanbul to an earthquake in Mandalay. Part memoir, part a reflection on service, identity, and belonging, the book follows a life shaped by diplomacy, humanitarian work, crisis response, and constant movement across borders and cultures.
Beneath the missions and travel lies a deeper question: What does all this movement mean, and where does one ultimately belong? At its core, this story is about transition, family, loss, purpose, and learning when to move, when to stay, and how to trust a path that is still unfolding.
Alexandre Cottin is a Foreign Service officer with the State Department. His postings include Belgium, Madagascar, Morocco, and Burma, where he most recently served as the embassy’s spokesperson. Cottin also taught public diplomacy courses at the Foreign Service Institute. He is currently on leave without pay (LWOP) while he works for the World Central Kitchen as director of strategic relations.
I Said My Piece with Peace: Inside USAID’s Final Days: A Testament of Leadership When Everything Falls Apart
Keisha L. Effiom, independently published, 2026, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 102 pages.
I Said My Piece with Peace is Keisha Effiom’s story of leadership written from inside the U.S. Agency for International Development during its final days, when she bore witness to the dismantling of a 64-year-old institution and the effects on those who served it.
The book is her attempt to record what she saw, what she refused to surrender, and what she learned about leading with grace when the ground beneath gives way. This faith-grounded memoir asks the question: How do you serve, lead, and remain whole when the institution you have built your life around begins to fall apart?
Former USAID Foreign Service Officer Keisha Effiom spent 18 years with USAID, including 15 in the Foreign Service, before the agency was dismantled in 2025. She was posted in Nigeria, Liberia, Washington, D.C., Tanzania, Ghana, and Rwanda/Burundi. She most recently served as mission director for Rwanda and Burundi, one of eight Black American women serving as USAID mission directors at the same time—the most ever to hold the title concurrently. Based in Johannesburg, Effiom travels regularly to the United States and across Africa for speaking engagements.
The World in My Bones: The Diplomat Queens Made
Jennifer Erie, independently published, 2026, $19.99/paperback, e-book available, 260 pages.
This memoir by Jennifer Erie covers her life in international development, where she served on the front lines for USAID, working across Africa and Southeast Asia to advance HIV and AIDS advocacy and public health resilience. For years, she writes, her vision for the future was coming together, but when she finally reached the bridge to the life she had spent decades building, the bridge collapsed.
The author, who was born and raised in Queens, New York, by a Haitian single mother, also shares her education in how grief, responsibility, and leadership coexist and examines what happens when leadership demands certainty while life offers none.
Jennifer Erie spent 15 years with USAID, serving in the Philippines, Tanzania, South Africa, South Sudan, and Thailand.
Real Stories from Real Diplomat Moms: Experiences of Mothers Serving at U.S. Embassies Around the World
Alicia Ford, ed., independently published, 2026, $19.99/paperback, e-book available, 143 pages.
Here, 15 women of the U.S. Foreign Service pull back the curtain on one of diplomacy’s least visible roles: motherhood. Through stories of birth, adoption, international relocations, career sacrifices, and family resilience, they reveal what it takes to build a life and raise children across borders. Honest, inspiring, and often humorous, this anthology celebrates the women who serve their country while nurturing the next generation of global citizens.
Alicia Ford has been with the State Department for 19 years. She has been assigned to the Boston Passport Agency, Bureau of Budget and Planning, Tegucigalpa, Lima, Istanbul, Bucharest, and Bridgetown. She is currently posted in Port of Spain.
Beneath the Flag: From the Field to the Framework: A Former Foreign Service Officer’s Guide to Project Management That Transformed Lives
Monika A. Gorzelanska, Palmetto Publishing, 2026, $15.99/paperback, e-book available, 178 pages.
Blending memoir with professional insight, former USAID Foreign Service Officer Monika Gorzelanska argues that this agency turned U.S. foreign policy ideas into real-world results across some of the world’s most complex environments. With nearly two decades of experience leading programs in conflict zones and fragile states, she explores how policy is translated into action through effective project management, stakeholder engagement, and disciplined execution.
Grounded in globally recognized Project Management Institute (PMI) principles, each chapter connects practical lessons with core management frameworks. Beneath the Flag shows federal employees how to lead with purpose and deliver measurable results in high-stakes international environments.
Monika Gorzelanska was with USAID from 2008 to 2025. She served in Kyiv, Accra, Tbilisi, Almaty, Washington, D.C., and Mogadishu.
Seeing Red: Spies, Lies and My So-Called Life as a Diplomat
Daniel Grossman, independently published, 2026, $17.95/paperback, print only, 275 pages.
This memoir in essays covers Daniel Grossman’s time serving as a U.S. diplomat in Leningrad during the Cold War. When he served in the Soviet Union at age 26, his phones were tapped, his home bugged, his neighbor defenestrated, his houseguest attacked, his consulate rocked by the Chernobyl disaster, and his movements even tracked by an ambitious young KGB officer named Vladimir Putin.
With autocracy rising around the world, Grossman has written a meditation on the politics of oppression, the nature of dreamers, and the resilience of ordinary people under siege in this private peek behind the Iron Curtain.
Daniel Grossman was in the Foreign Service from 1983 to 1989, with assignments in New Delhi, Leningrad, Vienna, and the Soviet desk at the State Department.
Behind the White House Curtain: A Senior Journalist’s Story of Covering the President—and Why It Matters
Steven L. Herman, Kent State University Press, 2026, $24.95/paperback, e-book available, 258 pages.
Originally published in hardcover in 2024, this memoir by Steve Herman, a former Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), is now in paperback and with a new preface covering the destruction of Voice of America early in the second Trump administration. He pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of the White House press corps, giving readers a glimpse into the historic and current relationship between the president and the press.
Tracing the trajectory of his career as a journalist and the challenges of covering the Trump administration for VOA, Herman also convincingly argues that public access to accurate, unbiased information is essential to a healthy and peaceful democracy. Further, he continues, journalists can and should play a key role in pressing government officials to be truthful and transparent.
At a time when misinformation is rampant and the need for unbiased coverage of current events more urgent than ever, Herman reminds readers that freedom of the press is a foundational American right.
Retired FSO Steve Herman was VOA’s senior White House correspondent from 2017 through 2025.
A Diplomatic Life (or Two): A Love Story
Larry and Judy Mandel, independently published, 2025, $12.99/paperback, e-book available, 129 pages.
During his career as a Foreign Service officer with the State Department, Larry Mandel spent more than 32 years living overseas and in Washington, D.C., with his spouse, Judy. Together, they raised their four children to appreciate and enjoy all the world has to offer. This account spans their journey from meeting on their first day at American University, to how they wound up with “two careers, one salary.”
Larry and Judy Mandel served in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), London, Tokyo, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Jakarta, Amman, and Ankara. After retiring in 2016, he served on the Foreign Service Grievance Board (2017–2022), including as chair (2019–2022).
Passages: Life of Challenge and Service
Dell Pendergrast, independently published, 2025, $12.00/paperback, print only, 176 pages.
In Passages, retired FSO Dell Pendergrast has published memories and reflections from his Midwest origins, his 32-year career as a Foreign Service officer, and his passion for acting. Each short chapter shares a vignette from his career overseas, his family life, or his community theater performances in Washington, D.C.
Dell Pendergrast served in the U.S. Information Agency for more than three decades beginning in 1965, with postings in Belgrade, Zagreb, Saigon, Warsaw, Brussels, and Ottawa.
My View from Here: My Journey Around the World as a Diplomat’s Wife
Tori Peters, Sidekick Press, 2026, $19.95/paperback, e-book available, 292 pages.
In 1977 Tori Peters arrived in Bamako, Mali, with her husband, four young children, and a cat, to begin her life as a spouse of a U.S. diplomat. She didn’t speak French, didn’t know what was expected of her, and was unprepared for the poverty and heartbreak she’d encounter.
In the women of Mali, Peters discovered strength, resilience, and a deeper understanding of herself. She had postings in six more countries over the next two decades—years marked by cultural discovery, political unrest, and personal growth.
When tragedy struck, she learned to stand on her own, ultimately walking the Camino de Santiago alone to honor her courage and the spirit of women across time.
In this memoir, she shares her stories of adventure, loss, and transformation.
Tori Peters is the wife and widow of retired Foreign Service Officer Ronald J. Peters. The family was posted in Bamako, Kigali, Tunis, Kabul, Taipei, Ottawa, and New Delhi.
From Oklahoma to Africa: My Journey
Nelda Villines, Genesis Publishing House, 2025, $20.00/paperback, e-book available, 348 pages.
This memoir chronicles Foreign Service Specialist Nelda Villines’ 31-year journey from rural Oklahoma to Africa. She writes of training in Washington, D.C., having surgery overseas, supporting communities struggling with HIV/AIDS, and visiting her first game reserve in Africa, which sparked an interest in wildlife photography. Through her experience with people from various cultures and traditions, she shares with readers insight into their lives and challenges.
Nelda Villines joined the State Department as an office management specialist (OMS) in 1991 and served in Helsinki, San José, Maseru, Harare, Lusaka, Mbabane, Khartoum, and Accra. She also spent time as an OMS “rover” in Bamako, Juba, Conakry, Lomé, Cape Town, Yaoundé, Malabo, Nairobi, Praia, Banjul, Ouagadougou, Libreville, N’Djamena, Monrovia, Abidjan, and Lagos. In addition to From Oklahoma to Africa, she has published 46 photo books about African wildlife and people.
Born in Kansas but Made in Africa: An American Man’s Recollections of 50 Years in Africa
Mark G. Wentling, independently published, 2025, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 463 pages.
At 21, Mark Wentling left life on a farm near Wichita, Kansas, for three years in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer. From there he joined USAID and spent the next five decades traveling and working in 54 nations on the African continent.
This new memoir shares Wentling’s experiences throughout Africa, with each chapter focused on a new country. He writes of living in rural villages and capital cities, working in war zones and on development projects, and reflects candidly on African traditions, challenges, humor, and hope.
Mark G. Wentling retired from USAID in 1996 as a Senior Foreign Service officer and then continued to serve in Africa as a USAID contractor and with NGOs.
LEADERSHIP
The Ambassador’s Leadership Edge: For Latina Leaders Ready to Rise to the Top
Maria Brewer, independently published, 2026, $19.99/paperback, e-book available, 186 pages.
First-gen FSO Maria Brewer understands the struggles Latina professionals can face, especially in questioning if they belong in the C-suite, board-room, or most senior ranks of public service.
In The Ambassador’s Leadership Edge, she draws on three decades of diplomatic service, including two ambassadorial appointments, to distill lessons from global leadership into actionable strategies for Latina professionals and other women of color.
Through her signature framework of “power, presence, and purpose,” she shares with readers how to navigate complex organizations, cultivate strategic alliances, strengthen influence, and rise with confidence, empowering them to lead with authenticity, intentionality, and strategy.
Maria Brewer joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1996 and served with the State Department for 29 years, including as ambassador to Sierra Leone and Lesotho.
Femme Led: Hard-Learned Lessons from Women in Leadership
Sierra Melcher, et al., Red Thread Publishing, 2026, $19.99/paperback, e-book available, 198 pages.
Leadership has long been defined by systems that reward dominance, extraction, certainty, and visibility at all costs. This award-winning anthology challenges that narrative, bringing together women who are leading differently, through lived experience, integrity, relational intelligence, courage, and choice.
Rather than offering a single definition of leadership, Femme Led presents a collective reimagining: leadership as actually lived by women today. The 16 contributors—including Foreign Service spouse Tracy MacDonald—are founders, creatives, entrepreneurs, educators, healers, and changemakers who have turned ideas into impact and values into action, often without permission and rarely by following the script.
FS family member Tracy MacDonald is the author of chapter 5, “Becoming Brave,” in the anthology. She is married to Diplomatic Security Agent Brad MacDonald. Together, they have served in Gabon, Honduras, Egypt, and Swaziland.
The Art of Strategic Humanity: Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines of Diplomacy
Carrie Muntean, independently published, 2026, $10.99/paperback, e-book available, 130 pages.
This book focuses on how to lead with what the author calls “strategic humanity,” which she describes as balancing your head (logic), heart (compassion), and spine (courage). It focuses on being a balanced leader for yourself, your team, and your organization. Make sure to also check out a leadership self-assessment the author offers at https://strategic-humanity.com.
Carrie Muntean was a consular officer with the State Department from 2001 to 2025 and served in Luanda, London, Panama, Moscow, Managua, Porto Alegre, and Washington, D.C. Retiring at the rank of counselor in the Senior Foreign Service, she now works as a leadership coach.
POLICY/ISSUES
Transatlantic Fracture: The Erosion of U.S.-European Relations in an Unstable Order
Stefan Fröhlich, Jackson Janes, and Jeffrey Rathke, Springer Nature, 2026, $44.99/paperback, e-book available, 96 pages.
Transatlantic Fracture provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving transatlantic relationship in light of recent domestic upheavals in the United States, which have lasting effects on foreign and security policy. With the liberal international order under increasing strain, Europe must respond to shifting global dynamics with strategic foresight and resilience. The authors share their insights into how Europe can address these challenges and what they mean for the future of the global order.
Co-author Jeffrey Rathke was a State Department Foreign Service officer from 1991 to 2015. His postings included Moscow, Berlin, Brussels (NATO international staff), Kuala Lumpur, Riga, and Dublin.
AI Use Cases for Consular Affairs: Smarter Passports, Visas, and Border Security
Don Kilburg and Virginia Blaser, Chapman & Hall, 2026, $45.99/paperback, e-book available, 264 pages.
In this book, retired FSOs Don Kilburg and Virginia Blaser examine how artificial intelligence can improve consular workflows including visa and passport adjudication, border security, disaster evacuation, identity verification, fraud detection, multilingual access, and crisis alerts.
Drawing on decades of combined diplomatic experience, they show diplomats, policymakers, and public servants how AI can expand access, improve consistency, and return valuable time. The book also confronts the ethical risks of AI directly, arguing that AI should strengthen rather than replace human judgment.
Don Kilburg was a Foreign Service officer for 21 years, leading State Department efforts to responsibly integrate generative AI into diplomatic work. His assignments included tours in Beijing, Almaty, Mexico City, Santo Domingo, and Washington, D.C.
Virginia Blaser spent 34 years in the Foreign Service, including as chargé d’affaires in five countries over five years.
AI Use Cases for Diplomats: Applying Artificial Intelligence to Diplomacy
Don Kilburg, Chapman & Hall, 2025, $45.99/paperback, e-book available, 314 pages.
Retired FSO Don Kilburg explores how artificial intelligence can be practically, responsibly, and ethically integrated into diplomatic work. The book bridges the gap between technical AI concepts and real-world diplomatic practice, offering concrete use cases for policy analysis, negotiation preparation, public diplomacy, crisis response, and internal workflow efficiency.
Written specifically for diplomats and foreign policy professionals, the book emphasizes human-centered AI, guardrails, and professional judgment. Kilburg argues that when used wisely, AI can enhance diplomatic effectiveness, strengthen international cooperation, and help diplomats navigate an increasingly complex global environment without replacing the human skills at the heart of diplomacy.
Don Kilburg was a Foreign Service officer for 21 years, leading State Department efforts to responsibly integrate generative AI into diplomatic work. His assignments included tours in Beijing, Almaty, Mexico City, Santo Domingo, and Washington, D.C.
West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East
Mohammed Soliman, Polity Press, 2026, $24.95/paperback, e-book available, 272 pages.
In West Asia, author Mohammed Soliman examines Shinzo Abe’s “Confluence of the Two Seas,” which reframed the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions as the Indo-Pacific, and brings that logic back to where it originated: Dara Shikoh’s 17th-century attempt to synthesize Islam and Hinduism as interconnected civilizational traditions.
From here Soliman makes the argument that the Middle East is merging with South Asia into a single expansive region stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean—what he calls “West Asia”—and contends that contemporary geopolitics makes no sense through a Middle East lens.
Turkey aligning with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; India joining forces with the UAE, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel; infrastructure projects like the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor or the Saudi-Jordan-Syria-Turkey initiatives—none of this fits the old framework of the Middle East, according to Soliman, who instead positions these alliances within an Asia-focused American grand strategy.
Mohammed Soliman is a Foreign Service family member who has served with his spouse, FSO Colleen Quigley, in Jeddah (2022–2023) and Mexico City (2023–2025).
Africa’s Blue Cities: Building Resilience in a Time of Climate Change
Donald Sparks, ed., Routledge, 2026, $200.00/hardcover, e-book available, 306 pages.
Coastal towns and cities in Africa are on the front lines of the climate crisis, while also having to sustain their national economies.
Drawing on rich case studies from small island developing states to mainland Africa, this contributed volume, edited by Donald Sparks, showcases how ports, fisheries, tourism, and urbanization currently contend with sea level rise, storms, inequality, and “blue crimes”—or transnational maritime offenses—that take place across oceans or cause harm to marine environments.
Donald Sparks was a Foreign Service Reserve officer from 1976 to 1980.
Profit vs. Progress: Why Socially Responsible Investment Doesn’t Work and How to Fix It
Brad Swanson, MIT Press, 2026, $32.95/hardcover, e-book available, 216 pages.
Socially responsible investment promises to make investors richer and the world better, but fails at both. Profit vs. Progress dissects the massive $30 trillion “socially responsible” or “sustainable” finance industry—and finds the emperor has no clothes.
Sustainable investing makes social and environmental crises harder to overcome by using financial gimmickry to distract our attention from real solutions. Corporations in competitive markets act without moral values, and ethical investment can’t prod them to take greater social responsibility. The solutions will have to come from legislatures, not corporate boardrooms.
The author shows that in previous eras of social crisis caused by corporate excess, meaningful reforms emerged through the political process. The path forward is clear—if we have the will to follow it.
Brad Swanson was an FSO with the State Department from 1979 to 1986, serving in Dakar, Monrovia, and Washington, D.C. He is currently based in Vienna, Virginia.
FICTION
Asking for an Effort
Nicholas Busselman, Novelty Fiction, 2026, $11.99/paperback, e-book available, 112 pages.
Unlike his infamous and legendary older brothers, Mitch lacks initiative and purpose. A half-hearted, months-long job search on foot finally leads him to the Pimlico Race Course, where an attractive girl on horseback ignites a flame deep inside him. Suddenly stubborn and determined, he seems bound to become a fixture or a failure at the racetrack, where the thoroughbreds stand ready to run.
Set in the late 1970s to early 1980s, Asking for an Effort gives the reader a detailed and authentic understanding of the horse racing culture, social norms, and family synergies of that era.
Nicholas Busselman is the spouse of a Foreign Service financial management officer currently posted in Libreville, Gabon, with an onward assignment in Lilongwe, Malawi.
The Expediter
Kenneth Dekleva, independently published, 2026, $10.99/paperback, e-book available, 189 pages.
When a grieving Bosnian refugee mother asks Father Ishmael, a retired hostage negotiator turned parish priest, to reopen her murdered son’s cold case, the investigation carries him from Texas to Sarajevo, Vienna, Jerusalem, Rome, and Tehran, where he meets with diplomats, intelligence officers, and Vatican officials and moves toward a reckoning that will test his faith and resolve.
A forensic psychiatrist and former Foreign Service specialist, Dr. Kenneth Dekleva knows the world of The Expediter from the inside. This thriller is for anyone drawn to stories of forgiveness and redemption, and for readers looking for insider-written espionage fiction.
Kenneth Dekleva served as a regional medical officer/psychiatrist (RMO/P) with the State Department from 2002 to 2016 in Moscow, New Delhi, Mexico City, Vienna, Washington, D.C., and London.
Day of Wrath
Otho Eskin, Meridian Editions, 2026, $19.95/paperback, e-book available, 258 pages.
When Washington, D.C., homicide detective Marko Zorn is called to the city’s cathedral, he finds a scene as chilling as it is surreal: the bloodied body of the cardinal archbishop lies on the church floor, a playing card clutched in his hand. Marko learns the card is a key to an ancient secret from the mountains of Mexico, where the archbishop once encountered a shadowy cult devoted to Holy Death.
As Marko digs deeper, he’s pulled into a secretive world of ritual and power that stretches from a remote desert village to the inner sanctums of the Vatican. What begins as a murder investigation quickly spirals into something far more dangerous: a calculated plot to infiltrate the Catholic Church and extend the cult’s reach into the modern world. With bodies mounting, time running out, and the pope on his deathbed, Marko must expose the truth before the cult’s influence becomes unstoppable.
This is the fifth and final book in the Marko Zorn series.
Otho Eskin joined the Foreign Service in 1961 and retired in 1982. He served in Damascus, Belgrade, Reykjavík, Berlin, and Washington, D.C.
Freida’s Secret
Robert Gribbin, independently published, 2025, $13.99/paperback, e-book available, 181 pages.
This novel opens with the real-life 1887 effort to rescue Emin Pasha, governor of Equatoria, Sudan, from the clutches of Islamist jihadists hiding in the Congo Basin. The governor is found but only reluctantly agrees to be rescued and to leave Equatoria for the coast. At this point the narrative shifts its focus to Pasha’s daughter, Freida. A multiracial child, she is sent to Germany where she adapts to life and culture, even into the Nazi era, all the while hiding a secret from long-ago Africa.
Robert Gribbin joined the Foreign Service in 1973 and was posted in Bangui, Kigali, Mombasa, and Kampala. He was U.S. ambassador to the Central African Republic (1993–1995) and Kenya (1996–1999). After retiring in 1999, he served as a short-term WAE in Mauritius, Djibouti, Bujumbura, N’Djamena, Abuja, Freetown, Monrovia, Kinshasa, Juba, and Accra.
Missing—Tipping Point III
George Alfred Kennedy, SETAF Publishing, 2026, $20.00/paperback, e-book available, 289 pages.
In the third book of the Tipping Point series, the airplane carrying President Hinton’s husband has disappeared, leaving her to face the uncertainty of his fate while preparing to raise their unborn child alone. But the demands of the presidency leave little room for sorrow.
Hinton relies on the strength of her vice president and the support of the American people as she confronts one of the greatest threats the nation has ever faced. Surrounded by political enemies, international threats, and the crushing loneliness of grief, President Hinton must navigate a world where every decision could alter the course of history. And in the quiet hours of the night, she is forced to confront the one battle no power can shield her from—her own heartbreak.
George Alfred Kennedy spent 35 years in the State Department, retiring as a Senior Foreign Service officer after assignments in seven countries, including as consul general in Toronto, deputy assistant secretary, and senior adviser to Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown.
Nothing on Earth
Ian MacKenzie, The Unnamed Press, 2026, $35.00/hardcover, e-book available, 488 pages.
This propulsive novel tells the story of an American spy, Anna Hendrix, as she seeks to learn the nature of an unknown, potentially powerful material that is appearing at seemingly random points around the world and that science can’t explain. No one knows what it is; and everyone wants to find it. Anna’s pursuit takes her from the Horn of Africa to Southeast Asia, through expatriate enclaves that play host to aid workers, diplomats, foreign correspondents, energy magnates, insurgents, dissidents, and, inevitably, other spies.
In Nothing on Earth, Ian MacKenzie reimagines a pivotal decade in the United States, from the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 to the storming of the Capitol in January 2021. Anna’s voice—lean, wry, coolly intimate—guides the reader through the dark topography of geopolitical power and, in the end, the outer limits of human comprehension.
Ian MacKenzie is an active-duty FSO with 17 years in the Foreign Service. He is currently the deputy political and economic counselor in Maputo and has previously served in Ethiopia, Brazil, Myanmar, and in the Bureau of African Affairs.
Night Witches in the West: An All-Woman Insurgency
Cassandra Mae, independently published, 2025, $21.99/paperback, e-book available, 352 pages.
When America fell, oligarchs stripped it for parts and corporate interests bought what was left. Now they’re coming for everything: nuclear bases, national parks, natural resources, women’s rights, prison labor. The Night Witches, though, are taking something back. A decentralized all-women insurgency operating across the former United States, they run honeypot intelligence operations, coordinate prison breaks, infiltrate billionaire gatherings, and move women across the Canadian border through an underground network.
Inspired by the Soviet World War II pilots who terrorized Nazi forces through stealth and precision, Night Witches in the West grounds its resistance in operational reality—asymmetric tactics, gendered power, and the actual mechanics of organized insurgency. This dystopian resistance fiction has the political urgency of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and the tactical grounding of Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
This is the first novel in a series.
Cassandra Mae (a pseudonym) is a career crisis response and counterinsurgency professional who joined the Foreign Service in 2014.
Daily American
Douglas E. Morris, Lulu Press, 2025, $12.99/paperback, e-book available, 372 pages.
Set in 1970s Italy, this atmospheric thriller is based on actual events and revolves around a newly transplanted American reporter who discovers that the English-language newspaper he is working for is actually a CIA front.
Once this subterfuge is discovered, he becomes entangled in a web of intrigue, espionage, and political extremism. Taking great risk along the way to expose the truth, he shows how an ordinary individual imbued with the courage of their convictions can make a difference in the world.
Former FS family member Douglas Morris served with his partner, retired FSO Kelly Degnan, in Ankara, Brussels, Pristina, Rome, Naples, Tbilisi, and Washington, D.C.
Jim Beckwourth: Mountain Man: Trailblazer
Charles Ray, DS Productions, 2026, $9.99/paperback, e-book available, 114 pages.
Enslaved at birth, James P. Beckwourth joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company after being freed and went west as a trapper in the 1830s, carving out a reputation as a master scout, trapper, fighter, and adventurer.
Throughout his six-plus decades of life, he was involved in many pivotal events in U.S. history, from the California Gold Rush to the Seminole Wars. For many years, James lived among the Crow Nation, becoming a noted war chief and blazing a trail through the mountains from Nevada Territory to California that today bears his name.
Charles Ray was an FSO from 1982 to 2012, with assignments in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. He was the first U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City and was U.S. ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Other recent books include The Fugitive from Texas: Adventures of Marshal Boone Collins (2026), Precious Cargo: The Adventures of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves (2026), and Caleb Johnson Mountain Man: Trouble in the Tall Timber (2025).
Escape from the Culling Box
TJ Relk, Dystopian Dreams Press, 2025, $14.99/paperback, e-book available, 199 pages.
In 2028 a tech billionaire is elected president as part of global conspiracy to replace governments with an AI network of control and deception. A U.S. soldier, David, returns from the forever war to a twisted shadow of the country and family he left decades ago. David’s faith in family, nation, and truth itself is shattered, and he must rediscover who he is as he tries to decide if this new world is worth saving. Ruling network elites must also decide whether to kill David to preserve control or use him to resurrect free will.
This is the first book in the Sins of the Saviors series.
Joe Relk served as a Foreign Service officer in Venezuela, Bolivia, Germany, Ecuador, Guatemala, Suriname, and Afghanistan. He is the author of Afghanistan Through the Humvee Window and the series prequel, The Network Apostate. Before joining the Foreign Service, he was a U.S. Army cryptology analyst, public relations specialist, journalist, talk show host, and photographer.
Voices on the Wind—Assault: A Novel of Malta in WWII
Helena P. Schrader, Cross Seas Press, 2026, $23.95/paperback, e-book available, 450 pages.
In 1942, control of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil depend on the fate of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta. Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis powers drop more bombs on Malta than were dropped on London throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the Royal Air Force struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying.
Voices on the Wind tells the story of four of Malta’s defenders.
Helena Schrader lived in Germany for 26 years, earning a PhD in history from the University of Hamburg before becoming a Foreign Service officer in 2005 and serving in Oslo, Lagos, Leipzig, and Addis Ababa. She retired from the Foreign Service in 2018 and now writes full-time from an island in Greece.
Criminal Lu Yanshi
Geling Yan, trans. Lawrence A. Walker, New Song Media GmbH, 2025, $32.99/paperback, e-book available, 536 pages.
Twentieth-century Chinese intellectual Lu Yanshi, a prodigy from a wealthy Shanghai family, travels to the United States to earn a PhD and sow his wild oats, but cannot escape his stifling social milieu, an overbearing stepmother, and his forced marriage to her niece. As war and revolution engulf China, Lu Yanshi speaks out for intellectual integrity but pays the price for it in prison and labor camp.
Written by Geling Yan, the spouse of retired FSO Lawrence Walker, and translated by Walker, the novel is based on the life experiences of Yan’s grandparents and served as the inspiration for two films by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The original Chinese-language book sold more than a million copies. Artist Ai Weiwei designed the front cover for this English-language edition.
Lawrence Walker, Yan’s husband, joined the State Department in 1980 and served in Mexico City, Bonn, Taipei, Shenyang, and Washington, D.C. He worked for Bank of America from 1991 to 2004 before returning to the department and serving in Abuja, Taipei, Berlin, and Stuttgart. He retired in 2013.
FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
Elizabeth Coatsworth, narrated by David Feldmann, independently published, 2026, $8.99/audiobook, 1 hour and 16 minutes.
While generations have treasured The Cat Who Went to Heaven—1931 winner of the Newbery Medal—this is the first audiobook production of the work.
When Elizabeth Coatsworth originally wrote the book in 1930, she broke the narrative into eight parts, ending each part with a “song of the housekeeper,” which provided an emotional summary of the preceding scenes. Coatsworth presented the songs, however, as simple poems, never offering the chords or melodies that would allow a narrator to easily sing the songs.
Narrated by retired public diplomacy officer David Feldmann, this audiobook contains original musical compositions based on Coatsworth’s lyrics from the text.
David Feldmann joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and served in Chennai, San Salvador, Laskhar Gah, Dar es Salaam, Maputo, Johannesburg, and Washington, D.C. He retired in 2026.
Lilly Bug and Friends: Hoedown Hulabaloo
Kevin Manly, independently published, 2026, $11.99/paperback, print only, 34 pages.
In Hoedown Hulabaloo, Taylor Spot heads to the tiny town of Wee Whoa for the biggest country hoedown ever. But when a malfunctioning invention transforms Lilly Bug and her friends into hilarious animal hybrids and scatters machine parts across town, they must work together to fix the chaos before the show begins.
This is the latest book in the heartwarming children’s book series that follows Lilly Bug and her friends as they navigate exciting adventures in the magical community of Wee Whoa. Each story combines fun, humor, and colorful characters with valuable lessons about friendship, resilience, teamwork, and protecting the world around us.
Kevin Riha, who publishes under the pen name Kevin Manly, has been a Diplomatic Security Service agent for 16 years. He has served in New York City, Lahore, Bogotá, Nairobi, and Detroit. He is currently posted in Nuevo Laredo.
Hum Rise
Nancy J. Nelson, Brown Leaf Press, 2025, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 341 pages.
They told you disclosure would change everything. It did, but not in ways the powerful could accept. The corporations lost. But the Pentagon hasn’t. And the people who profit from keeping humanity sick and dependent are not done fighting.
Vicki Heywood is back at the State Department, this time running the office nobody wanted to create: the Office of Multispecies Relations. Washington is more dangerous than ever. The Department of Defense wants control of the alien question, and it’s willing to kidnap, smear, and silence anyone who gets in the way. The old guard has one weapon left: to make people afraid. The young people—human, Suede, and Alpha Centaurian—have something stronger.
This is the second book of the Disclosure Files series.
Nancy Nelson spent 25 years as an economic officer with the State Department, serving in Caracas, Managua, Tallinn, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C.
Avatars of the Pantheon: Four Girls Come Together
Jackson Owens, independently published, 2026, $15.00/paperback, e-book available, 334 pages.
In this fantasy for young adults about goddesses, power, and found family, a mysterious letter brings together four girls from very different worlds: Sophie Griffin, a Sentinel of the proud Aurorium clan; Annabelle Salazar, an unruly privateer with a dangerous past; Regina Fournier, a silver-eyed scholar from the land of libraries; and Lisa Nozaki, a highborn heir of Verdantia.
For 14 years, Brother Albert Thompson has watched over them in secret, knowing their births foretold a coming darkness. But when assassins and witch-crafted machines strike from the shadows, his quiet vigil comes to an end. Drawn together by fate, the girls are forced to face the truth: they are Avatars—living vessels of the goddesses who shaped their world.
This is the first book of four in the Avatars of the Pantheon series. All are now out and available for purchase.
Jackson Owens joined the State Department in 2013 and has served in Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Vienna, Brussels, and Washington, D.C. He is currently posted in Frankfurt.
“Chulo”: The Great Journey of the French Bulldog: A True Story of Love, Family, and Home
Nury Stemple, Storytime Publisher House, 2026, $15.99/paperback, e-book available, 38 pages.
This bilingual children’s tale was inspired by the true story of Chulo, a French bulldog who traveled throughout Kenya, Europe, and the United States with his Foreign Service family, discovering family, friendship, and home along the way.
Author Nury Stemple wrote “Chulo” during a season of grief, after losing both her husband and her dog. It also grew out of a deeper need for more bilingual, culturally rich children’s books that encourage youngsters to celebrate culture, love, and family.
Nury Stemple is a first-tour Foreign Service officer posted in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Making of a Little Diplomat—An Armenian Adventure in Friendship, Courage, and Belonging
Melinda Woywood, Inspired Journal, 2026, $23.00/paperback, e-book available, 76 pages.
Every year, thousands of children pack their bags, say goodbye, and follow their families to the far corners of the world. If that sounds familiar, this book is for you—whether your family serves overseas at a diplomatic post, in the military, Peace Corps, or a corporate position, or just simply travels often.
Violet’s mom served with USAID until she was caught up in the 2025 reductions in force (RIFs). Her story, intended to teach children ages 5–9 diplomatic skills and good behavior, demonstrates that the best adventures begin with a goodbye. Through it children and their parents will learn to navigate tricky conversations about leaving one place and starting anew.
Melinda Woywood served nine years as a USAID FSO posted in Washington, D.C., Afghanistan, and Armenia. She lost her job in last year’s RIF and says writing the book helped her and her family process the sudden loss of her career.
HISTORY
The Kane Family: Slavery to Freedom at Sotterley
David G. Brown, ed., The Printing Press, 2025, $20.00/paperback, print only, 111 pages.
Born in 1925, Agnes Kane Callum was the descendant of enslaved workers at the Sotterley Plantation in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Callum joined the Board of Trustees of Historic Sotterley in 1991 and shared her research concerning the story of her ancestors’ enslavement at the plantation and their transition to freedom following emancipation. In this book, retired FSO David Brown collects Callum’s writings and offers endnotes that provide editorial context.
David Brown spent 32 years in the Foreign Service, including assignments in Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, and as deputy consul general in Hong Kong. His last assignment was as director of Korean affairs in Washington, D.C. He retired in 1996.
To purchase the book, write to officemanager@Sotterley.org.
Herman Melville in the Berkshires
John S. Dickson, The History Press, 2026, $24.99/paperback, print only, 160 pages.
The mountains, rivers, forests, waterfalls, and lakes of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts have long attracted artists and writers. Author Herman Melville first came to the Berkshires as a young boy and was so inspired by the surroundings that he returned to live there for 13 years, in one of the most productive writing periods of his life. He finished his masterpiece Moby Dick in his first year there, seated in his study with a view of Mount Greylock.
Writing about Melville’s experience there, retired Foreign Service Officer John Dickson thinks his wanderings will strike a chord with FSOs, noting that Melville once wrote: “No matter how long I stayed in a foreign country, I was not of it, but an observer, looking in from the outside.”
John Dickson joined the Foreign Service in 1964 and was posted in Taipei, Saigon, Yokohama, Tokyo, Vienna, Beijing, Oslo, Hong Kong, and Washington, D.C.
Profiles in Service: Peace Corps Roots in American Diplomacy
Ben East, Arlington Hall Press, 2026, $19.95/paperback, e-book available, 307 pages.
From the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961 to more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Profiles in Service recounts how JFK’s bold experiment shaped diplomatic careers and influenced modern U.S. diplomacy, tracing how the volunteer experience contributed to the successful careers of many leading Foreign Service members.
Drawing on Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) oral histories and contemporary interviews, the book follows volunteers who tracked looted antiquities in Iraq, built relations in Kabul after 9/11, secured village infrastructure in Vietnam, and were taken hostage in Iran. As the Peace Corps turns 65, Profiles offers a timely reflection on how citizen diplomacy contributes to U.S. foreign policy—and why those roots matter.
Ben East was a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi from 1996 to 1998. He joined the Foreign Service in 2002 and served in Jeddah, Managua, Accra, Mexico City, Mumbai, and Washington, D.C., before retiring in 2023. East, a member of the FSJ Editorial Board, has also written two novels: Two Pumps for the Body Man (2016) and Patchworks (2017). This is his nonfiction debut.
Representing America: Firsthand Accounts from a Century of U.S. Diplomacy (1924–2024)
Robin Matthewman, ed., Arlington Hall Press, 2025, $29.95/paperback, e-book available, 374 pages.
History comes alive when told through firsthand accounts, and U.S. diplomats tell a host of riveting, unforgettable stories, from the amusing to the tragic to the headline-making.
Representing America is an anthology of more than 300 of these stories from the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training’s Foreign Affairs Oral History collection, a decades-old treasure trove of great moments in history for historians, authors, journalists, genealogists, foreign policy specialists, and students. Opening a window into a century of U.S. diplomacy, this book reveals how members of the U.S. Foreign Service have shaped historic events, served the American people, and faced both sacrifice and danger in the line of duty.
Editor Robin Matthewman retired from the Foreign Service in 2022 after 35 years. She then joined ADST as a staff oral historian and has worked with interviewees from all levels and specialties. She led a team of retired U.S. diplomats, including Chris Sibilla, Peter Eicher, Carol Peasley, David Reuther, and Teresita Schaffer, to select and edit these excerpts and was aided by dozens more who suggested topics and reviewed draft chapters.
A Burning Hunger: One Family’s Struggle Against Apartheid
Lynda Schuster, Ohio University Press, 2026, $35.00/paperback, e-book available, 472 pages.
On June 16, 1976, the youth of Soweto rose up in protest against a new rule making Afrikaans the language of instruction in their schools. Tsietsi Mashinini, a charismatic high school student, led them in demonstrations that quickly turned into South Africa’s biggest rebellion.
Tsietsi’s actions that day changed his country irrevocably and forever defined his family. The Mashinini name became the stuff of legend; many of Tsietsi’s 12 siblings and even his parents found themselves pulled into the fight against apartheid. If the Mandelas were the generals in the fight for liberation, the Mashininis were the foot soldiers.
Originally published in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim and now being reissued in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, A Burning Hunger tells the tale of this remarkable family.
Lynda Schuster is married to Ambassador Dennis Jett, a retired career Foreign Service officer and U.S. ambassador to Mozambique and Peru. She accompanied him to postings in Malawi, Liberia, Mozambique, and Peru.
SELF-HELP
Diplomatically 2: Django Parenting, a Guide for Raising Resilient Third-Culture Children
Yikee and Eusebe Adje, independently published, 2026, $16.95/paperback, e-book available, 141 pages.
In a world of shifting global politics, rapid AI advancement, and economic whiplash, many parents are haunted by the same question: How do I prepare my children for a future I can’t predict?
Yikee Adje returns with the second book in her Diplomatically series, this time challenging modern parenting norms. To navigate the constant upheaval of moving and raising five multicultural children across Africa, Adje and her husband turned to the generational “tough love” wisdom of Benin.
With a blend of storytelling and self-deprecating humor, Adje shares her 23 “Django Parenting for Resilience Principles” for raising hardworking, self-sufficient children who are prepared for any challenge in life.
Yikee Adje joined USAID in 2012, became an FSO in 2016, and moved to the State Department in 2025. She has served in Cotonou, Kinshasa, and Senegal, and is currently based in Dakar as the deputy assistance coordinator for the West Africa Foreign Assistance Hub. Adje is also an adjunct leadership coach in the State Department’s coaching program.
Aging for Beginners: Insights and Strategies on Aging Gracefully
Leroy Elder, independently published, 2026, $9.99/paperback, e-book available, 136 pages.
This guide is for anyone seeking clarity, confidence, and peace of mind while navigating the natural journey of growing older. Through approachable insights and practical guidance, readers are invited to embrace each stage of life with grace rather than apprehension. Instead of viewing aging as decline, this book reframes it as a meaningful season of growth, resilience, and deeper connection. Growing older is inevitable, but this book reminds readers that aging well is a choice.
Leroy Elder is the pen name for Alfred Vincent, a retired Foreign Service security officer who joined the State Department in 1985. He served as a security attaché in Ankara, Zambia, Bonn, Almaty, Yaoundé, Sarajevo, and Rangoon. His last assignment was as security inspector with the department’s Office of the Inspector General. He retired in 2011 and now lives in Durham, North Carolina.
Keep Walking: How to Finish Hard Things When Motivation Fails
Ogheneotsuko Notoma, Kindle Direct Publishing, 2026, $14.99/paperback, e-book available, 200 pages.
From growing up in Nigeria to joining the U.S. military and working in the cybersecurity, diplomacy, and academic realms, Ogheneotsuko Notoma shares personal stories on how discipline, resilience, and consistency can turn ordinary effort into a lasting legacy.
Built around the W.A.L.K. Framework—why you started, accountability to progress, legacy through consistency, keep walking—the book is both memoir and practical guide for anyone rebuilding momentum in adulthood. For those wondering if it is too late, Keep Walking offers a clear reminder: You do not need to sprint. You just need to keep walking.
This is the second and final book in the author’s W.A.L.K. series.
Ogheneotsuko Notoma joined the Foreign Service as a specialist in 2012. He has served in Colombo, Zagreb, Paris, Tokyo, Islamabad, and Frankfurt.
And Still I Remain: 21 Faith-Filled Inspirations for When Life Falls Apart
Bettina H. Zowe, independently published, 2026, $13.99/paperback, e-book available, 122 pages.
For more than two decades, Bettina Zowe served with international NGOs and USAID, helping disaster-affected people navigate devastating crises. This was more than a job: It was her calling. Nothing prepared her for the emotional trauma, deep spiritual wounds, and financial turmoil that would ensue following the agency’s dismantling.
This devotional is a spiritual lifeline for anyone experiencing personal loss or unexpected crisis, intended to help them reconnect with God, confront the voices that might be drowning out their purpose, and adopt intentional, daily habits to stay anchored through any storm.
Bettina Zowe is the pen name of former USAID FSO Betty Kraus. She spent 10 years at the agency, first as a contractor. Her first post as an FSO was Abuja (2022–2024). At the time of the 2025 reductions in force, she was studying French in preparation for an onward assignment to Kinshasa.
POTPOURRI
Culturally Sensitive Evidence-Based Practice in Mental Health
Marta Garrett, Richard M. Roberts, Allan Berg, eds., Cognella Academic Publishing, 2025, $54.95/paperback, e-book available, 442 pages.
This book gives graduate students and current practitioners a foundation in evidence-based practice (EBP) by laying out the fundamentals of research consumption at the master’s level and production at the doctoral level.
Emphasizing the practicality of several evidence-based therapies, it does a deep dive into how these therapies can be culturally friendly and implemented in various contexts beyond their Western origins. Case studies throughout the text offer real-world scenarios to demonstrate the application of these interventions.
Co-editor Richard M. Roberts is a retired Foreign Service officer who served in Niger, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil. He previously taught psychology in Europe and Asia with the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Nomads of the Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, and Mongolian Steppe
Daniel Miller, independently published, 2026, $36.00/paperback, print only, 160 pages.
With 81 black-and-white photographs covering 50 years from 1975 to 2025, this book provides an overview of nomadic pastoralists in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan areas of China, and Mongolia. It was published this year to celebrate the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
Daniel Miller spent 14 years as a Foreign Service officer with USAID, serving in Washington, D.C., Kabul, New Delhi, Manila, Port Moresby, Ulaanbaatar, and Islamabad.
Letters Now Sent: A Collection of Letters from the Globally Mobile
Megan C. Norton-Newbanks, ed., Beyond Borders Publishing, 2025, $15.99/paperback, e-book available, 339 pages.
Letters Now Sent is a collection of letters written by and to individuals who have lived cross-culturally. Inspired by Ruth E. Van Reken’s seminal Letters Never Sent, this first volume opens a window into the emotional landscapes of identity, belonging, and transition.
Compiled by lifelong letter-writer and third culture kid consultant Megan Norton-Newbanks, Letters Now Sent is more than a book—it’s a cultural archive. These are not anonymous reflections or polished essays. They are primary source documents that preserve and speak directly to the challenges and beauty of crossing cultures and borders.
Together, they offer an intimate view into layered identities and the enduring power of handwritten connection as both art and historical record.
Megan C. Norton-Newbanks is the daughter of retired Foreign Service Officer James Norton. She grew up in South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Japan, and Israel and continued her travels as an adult in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and six U.S. states. She is also the author of Belonging Beyond Borders: How Adult Third Culture Kids Can Cultivate a Sense of Belonging and A Work of Heart: A Collection of Artwork from Multicultural Individuals.
Guidebook to Ancient Málaga
Jack Tucker, Olympia Publishers, 2026, $28.99/paperback, print only, 220 pages.
This guide provides precise GPS coordinates to numerous ancient sites in Spain’s Málaga province and shares information about first-century BC coins and mint cities. It’s a must-read for visitors to Andalusia interested in archaeology and numismatics.
Jack Tucker was a Foreign Service officer from 1980 to 2006, serving in San Salvador, Melbourne, El Arish, Santo Domingo, Baku, Tashkent, and Riyadh. Upon retiring, he worked as a reemployed annuitant (REA) in Jalalabad, Baghdad, Kyiv, Yekaterinburg, Dhaka, and Jerusalem until 2023.
One Conversation, Two Identities, Four Faiths: Gaza’s Heartbreak Through Questions, Faith, and Friendship
Allan J. Alonzo Wind and Mohammed Arafat, Enable & Ennoble, 2026, $37.99/paperback, e-book available, 358 pages.
Retired USAID FSO Allan Wind spent two years leading medical missions in Gaza. Poet Mohammed Arafat grew up in Gaza, surviving blockade after blockade before fleeing to the United States. This book represents a dialogue between these two unlikely friends that is by turns heartbreaking, funny, furious, and full of hope.
Through memoir, poetry, and honest conversation, they take readers inside the Gaza most Americans never see—the fish markets and fig groves before October 7, staff meetings under rocket fire, the 12-kilometer walk along the shore under a sky full of stars—and into the moral questions that haunt us all. The book includes photos from Gaza before and during the war, and practical steps toward interfaith understanding.
Allan J. Alonzo Wind was an FSO from 1999 to 2019, serving in Santo Domingo, Lima, Managua, Luanda, Abuja, Baghdad, Kabul (TDY), and Pretoria. He also served in Gaza/East Jerusalem as a mission director with International Medical Corps.
