The Foreign Service Journal, November 2010

Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey into the Middle East Andrea B. Rugh, Potomac Books Inc., 2009, $29.95, hardcover, 368 pages. Although the Middle East often features prominently in the headlines of morning newspapers and nightly broadcasts across the United States, few Americans understand the region’s inhabitants. In Simple Gestures , Andrea Rugh chroni- cles her progression from puzzled foreigner to cultural guru. As mother, wife and, ultimately, anthropologist, Rugh explores the traditions of the eight Middle East- ern countries in which she lived, from Lebanon in 1964 to Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11. Rugh presents her remembrances chronologically, from her childhood exposure to foreign culture in her grandparents’ copies of National Geographic to her work at schools in Afghanistan in 2001. Along the way, she discovers the differences not only between Ameri- can and Middle Eastern cultures, but also among the various countries themselves. Rugh narrates dozens of highly readable anecdotes about every aspect of life, from social visits to weddings to education. Rugh’s hon- est and respectful insights culminate in a chapter of conclusions, describing the overall lessons of her life in a region often misrepresented in the West. The wife of an FSO, Andrea Rugh has been involved in projects with USAID, the Harvard Institute of In- ternational Development, Save the Children and UNICEF. She attended Swarthmore College and Oberlin College before receiving her Ph.D. in anthro- pology from American University. The author of sev- eral other books about the region, she is currently an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute and lives in Maryland and Massachusetts. Russian Spies, Qadhafi and Other Memories Dick Kalla, CreateSpace, 2008, $16.95, paperback, 384 pages. In his foreword to Russian Spies, Qadhafi, and Other Memo- ries , Dick Kalla explains that he wrote the memoir primarily to satisfy the curiosity of family and friends about his For- eign Service career. But readers unacquainted with the author will also appreciate his book: Kalla’s remem- brances of life as an FSO will interest fellow career diplomats, who can identify with his experience, while his simple description of Foreign Service life will de- light those less familiar with the hierarchies of em- bassies and other insider knowledge. Readers will have as much fun reading this memoir as Kalla clearly did in writing it. The memoir contains 14 “slices of life” detailing memorable experiences at each of Kalla’s 12 posts (from Copenhagen to Caracas). Kalla relays a variety of an- ecdotes — everything from the story of his “coinciden- tal” encounters with the titular KGB agent (who attempted to seduce him into becoming an informant for the Soviet Union) to a short description of Tawny, the Great Dane adopted by the Kalla family while they lived in the Dominican Republic. The book concludes with a succinct editorial on the potentially detrimental effects of American xenophobia. Richard L. Kalla served as an FSO with the U.S. In- formation Agency for 33 years, and has written many articles about his career experience. Now retired, he and his wife, Pat, live in Washington state and are, as he concludes his memoir, “looking forward to many ad- ventures down the road.” Not to the Manner Born Helen Lyman, ADST Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series, New Academia/Scarith Books, 2010, $20.00, hardcover, 172 pages. In 2001, Helen Lyman, wife of retired FSO and former Ambassa- dor Princeton Lyman, began writ- ing about the more humorous incidents of her life overseas. As one who never thought of herself as being born to the trappings of diplomatic life, she brings a wry perspective to her observations. Not to the Manner Born , published posthumously as a title in the ADST- DACOR Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series, con- tains a foreword by her husband. The essays recount incidents with the famous — Nelson Mandela, Al and Tipper Gore, Hillary Clinton — and the not-so-famous, such as her first-grade stu- dents in Nigeria. Lyman’s account of her first meeting with Nelson Mandela, during her husband’s posting as U.S. ambassador to South Africa (1992-1995), was pub- lished in the Foreign Service Journal (May 2004). From housewife to family counselor, to teacher, to computer trainer for the State Department, Lyman 24 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 1 0