The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

was a Peace Corps Volunteer botany professor in Nepal and a high school social sciences teacher in Laos in the 1960s. He lives with his India-born wife, Etrennes, in La Luz, N.M., and is also the author of a book of poet- ry, Dark Thoughts (Mesilla Valley Press, 2007). More Truth than Fiction: Growing Up in Europe Between the World Wars Helga Ruge, Clay & Marshall Publishing, 2008, $11.95, paperback, 262 pages. After Germany was roundly defeated in the bloody First World War, the immense loss of life and land, and the continuing hunger and demoral- ization of her people, bode ill for the country’s future. Yet life goes on, one day at a time, and children are born and somehow thrive. Against this backdrop, the Heimbach family story unfolds. Peter and Lisa Heim- bach struggle to make ends meet and, despite long job-related separations and relocations, they slowly succeed. Their two daughters grow up during the his- torical shift that marks the rise of the extremist move- ments that ultimately change the fate of Germany and the world. Writing in novel form, Helga Ruge brings to life the tensions of the time by recreating remembered exchanges, experiences and emotions of her own fam- ily. Readers are not only afforded a glimpse into the author’s childhood, but a view of the historical events and cultural milestones of early 20th-century Europe. Helga Ruge was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, but spent temporary periods living in Soviet Russia, Berlin and Romania during her youth. In 1949, she married FSO Neil Ruge in Palermo, Sicily, and accompanied him to posts in Casablanca, London, Cardiff, Munich, Guatemala City and Washington, D.C. She lives in Chico, Calif., and is the author of a Flashbacks of a Diplomat’s Wife (Clay & Marshall, 2002) and Whither the Promised Land (Clay & Marshall, 2005). Books for Children and Young Adults A Rumor of Dragons Michael Heald, M.D., Lulu Press, 2008, $19.95, paperback, 396 pages. Michael Heald, a former engineer and currently a physician, combines his two pro- fessions in this debut novel for young adults. Always fascinated by the physical laws that govern our world and that create bits of wonder all around us, he inter- twines the physical and the mag- ical in this novel for the teenage reader. Marc Courtenay, the protagonist, is a prince born without hands who is aided by a dwarf dragon who cannot fly. When his kingdom falls to a traitor, Courtenay must flee for his life and, in the process, is forced to choose between individual momentary plea- sure or sacrifice for the good of others. Along the way he grows into manhood and discovers that even a handless prince can change the course of history. “There is a gritty bleakness to this world; and the characters are not the glossy, superhuman heroes of traditional fantasy, but flawed and insecure souls, with all the issues and baggage we have and more. … It brings a gripping and unique perspective to the fanta- sy genre,” says Stephanie Johanesen in Odyssey Reviews . Michael Heald currently serves as regional medical officer in Buenos Aires, where he lives with his wife and two teenage children. Three Little Kids and the State Department Elaine Guihan, Xlibris, 2008, $21.99, paperback, 26 pages. Here is a book for children about what it’s like to travel the world, encounter other cultures and discover new things. Alex, Colin and Jim’s dad is an FSO. At an early age, they leave home with their par- ents and live in Mauritania, France, Cote d’ Ivoire and Turkey, with a surprising interlude in Washington, D.C. Their life is not always easy, but it’s never dull. Plunked down in the Sahara, the boys play in the desert, learn how to wear a head scarf and drink camel’s milk. After two years, they pack their suitcases and move to France, an amazingly beautiful place. There they visit historic castles and roller-skate at the Place de la Concorde. And more adventures follow in Turkey and Cote d’Ivoire. Written in a light, wry tone, the book is illustrated N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 41 Continued from p. 37