The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 27 eral political order.” Anecdotes illustrating the lack of religious freedom in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and Pakistan support Farr’s main point that true religious freedom is a prerequisite for a stable, durable democratic society. Farr draws an intriguing contrast between the reli- gious freedom promoted in the United States and what he calls a lack of awareness regarding this issue in U.S. foreign policy. He laments an “incomplete understand- ing of how to root liberal norms and institutions in highly religious societies” and calls for a reversal of what he terms the “religion-avoidance syndrome” in American foreign policy. The book was reviewed in the Journal by David Jones (April 2009). Thomas F. Farr is a visiting associate professor of re- ligion and international affairs at Georgetown Univer- sity’s School of Foreign Service and a senior fellow at its Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Earlier, he taught at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy. He served for seven years in the U.S. Army and for 21 years in the Foreign Service, and was the first director of the Office of International Religious Free- dom in the State Department. Undrunk: A Skeptic’s Guide to AA A.J. Adams, Hazelden, 2009, $14.95, paperback, 199 pages A.J. Adams recounts his first Al- coholics Anonymous meeting as though it were his first day of jun- ior high — except for the part about arriving drunk. The new faces, strange meeting place and seemingly closed cliques make him want to bolt out the door. Soon, however, he is surprised to find camaraderie, fun and enough motivation to return to the next meet- ing. And he begins the process of dealing with his alco- holism, evolving from a cynic in denial to a transformed husband and father. In Undrunk , Adams details his own experience using the multifaceted Alcoholics Anonymous approach to re- covery. He chronicles the rehabilitation process, in the process dismissing common misconceptions about the organization. From emotional outbursts to the extreme measures employed to hide liquor, Adams jokes about his struggles, providing readers brutally honest insights into life as an alcoholic. The lighter side of what is usu-