The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

24 NOVEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL T he Foreign Service Jour- nal is pleased to present our annual Foreign Ser- vice authors roundup in plenty of time for holiday orders. Judging by the flood of books we received for this issue—twice the number in previous years—the past year has been one of reflec- tion, inspiration and literary endeavor for FS members. The result is a selection that contains a weighty and wide-ranging history section, a solid policy and issues section, an unusually large array of memoirs and fiction, several chil- dren’s books and an eclectic variety of works in the categories of photography, cooking, travel, Arabic-language studies and tax preparation. As has been the case for nearly a decade, most of the titles are self-published. Whether you read the listings in print or online, we urge you to visit our online book- store when a title strikes your fancy. There you will find all the books in this edition, as well as those featured in previous years—and more (www.afsa.org/ads/books/). Our annotated list of volumes written, edited or translated by Foreign Service personnel and family members in 2011 and 2012 is not a definitive record of works by FS authors; we rely on the authors themselves to bring their books to our attention. The roundup was assembled with the vital assistance of editorial interns Emily Hawley, Eva Moss and David Barton. Our primary purpose in compiling this list is to celebrate the wealth of literary talent within the Foreign Service community, and to give our readers the opportunity to support colleagues by sampling their wares. Each entry contains full publication data along with a short com- mentary. As has become our custom, we also include a list of books “of related interest” to diplomats and their families that were not written by FS authors. Once again, although many of these books are available elsewhere, we encourage our read- ers to use the AFSA Web site’s online bookstore to place your orders. The AFSA Bookstore has links to Amazon and, at no extra cost to you, each book sold there generates a small royalty for AFSA. For the few books that cannot be ordered through Amazon, we have provided alternative links or, when the book is not avail- able online, the necessary contact information. But enough crass commercialism. On to the books! —Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor We are pleased to present this year’s roundup of books by Foreign Service members and their families. TheISpot.com/TimOgline IN THEIR OWN WRITE FOCUS BOOKS BY FOREIGN SERVICE AUTHORS