The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

40 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 created a splendid career for herself at a time when women were seldom heard as broad- casters. This story is a reaffir- mation of the progress of women in this country over the past 50 years,” says Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in her foreword to Thanks for Listen- ing . Patricia Gates Lynch recounts her remarkable jour- ney from Army bases in the U.S. and Europe as a mili- tary wife, to the postwar U.S. radio arena, to worldwide prominence as a host on the popular Voice of America “Breakfast Show,” to an assignment with First Lady Patricia Nixon and, finally, as President Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. Ms. Lynch lives in suburban Washington, D.C. Moroccan Mystery Nancy V. Riley, iUniverse, 2008, $11.95, paperback, 130 pages. Moroccan Mystery is the first book in Nancy Riley’s “Passport Series,” designed for young readers aged 8-12. The series focuses on learning about world religions and cultures through the exciting adventures of two sisters, Aili and Julia Turner. In this book, young read- ers will learn about Islam, Moroccan culture and the trade in endangered animal products as they accompa- ny the girls on their quest to solve a mystery in “the land of the setting sun.” A Web site for readers offers an interactive bonus (www.thepassportseries.com/ ). Nancy Riley, the wife of U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Tom Riley, is a former tax attorney and the mother of two girls who are the inspirations for the Passport Series. Iran’s Long Reach: Iran as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World Suzanne Maloney, U.S. Institute of Peace Press, 2008, $14.95, paperback, 145 pages. Although its leadership and rhetoric often appear stagnant, Iran is in reality one of the least static societies in the Muslim world, Suzanne Maloney argues in this lucid and timely volume. Maloney systematically outlines Iran’s sources of influence in the Muslim world and the social, economic and regional forces that are driving it toward change. She concludes that despite constraints, the U.S. must ultimately engage Iran on a range of issues. Insightful and balanced, this volume presents a realistic, precise and objective assessment of Iran for policymak- ers and the interested public. Suzanne Maloney is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy. She is a former member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. The Rise of Global Civil Society: Building Nations from the Ground Up Don Eberly, Encounter Books, 2008, $27.95, hardcover, 300 pages. Compassion is America’s most consequential export, ar- gues Don Eberly in this new book surveying the rise of civil society around the world. Once the distinctive char- acteristic of American democracy, philanthropy, vol- unteerism, public-private partnerships and social entrepreneurship are spreading across the globe. This trend is the seedbed for long-term cultivation of democratic norms. According to Eberly, the key to meeting development challenges in the future will be to harness the best of both the public and the private sector to experiment with approaches that rely on markets and on civil society, and that engage the poor as partners. Don Eberly is a former White House adviser with more than 25 years of combined experience in public policy and government service. He has served in senior positions at USAID and the State Department, including a term as a senior adviser in Baghdad. OF RELATED INTEREST