The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

38 NOVEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL ent light than many. As she states: “I would prefer to answer that simple question, ‘Where do you come from?’ by saying ‘I come from the world. I was born with wings, and who knows where they’ll take me next?’” Dorothy S. Conlon continues to travel, sharing her adventures in the form of travelogues at retirement facilities in Sarasota, Fla., where she resides. She is the author of many articles for travel magazines and e-zines. Voluntary Nomads: A Mother’s Memories of Foreign Service Family Life Nancy Pogue LaTurner, Outskirts Press, Inc., 2011, $18.95, paperback, 424 pages. In Voluntary Nomads , Nancy Pogue LaTurner recounts the story of her family’s move from New Mexico to Washington, D.C., and beyond, to follow her husband as he pursues his new career in the Foreign Service. With two children, son Dakota and daughter Tina, Nancy and Fred made temporary homes in Iran, Cameroon, New Zealand, Somalia, the Dominican Republic, Austria and Bolivia. This nomadic lifestyle was a topsy-turvy experience for Nancy, as a mother and wife; for the children as temporary locals; and for Fred as a husband, father and diplomat. LaTurner’s narrative contains vivid imagery that brings readers into the core of her experience. Nancy Pogue LaTurner is retired, but she and her husband continue their nomadic tradition by regularly partaking in camp- ing expeditions across the United States. At their home in Albu- querque, she writes, dabbles in art and music and also enjoys caring for her three grandsons. Her award-winning essays and short fiction have been published in anthologies. Funny in Parts: The Diary of A Foreign Service Officer John J. Eddy, 2011, Author House, $36, hardcover, 408 pages. John J. Eddy shares the experiences of his 28-year career in the Foreign Service through a diarist’s account in this memoir. The personal diary entries shed “a little light on the daily conduct of U.S. foreign relations,” as the author puts it, describing the experiences that come with serving in distant lands and the ways in which they affected him and as his family. Funny in Parts highlights the ways in which the career Foreign Service contributes to our nation’s well-being and that of others; the obstacles that political influence impose on foreign diplo- macy; and the emotional, physical and mental effects of life serving abroad. Pictures of his family; interesting, one-of-a-kind stories, such as the time he accompanied a U.S. senator from the deep South on a trip to the oil fields in Maracaibo; and the open and personal mood of his writing all make this book absorbing. John J. Eddy, who retired from the Foreign Service with the personal rank of minister counselor, lives in Rochester, Vt. In retirement, he has continued to assist the Office of the Inspector General with the inspection of U.S. diplomatic posts. Diplomats & Terrorists: Or How I Survived a 61-Day Cocktail Party Diego and Nancy Asencio, Manuel Asencio Publishing, 2011, $14.99, paperback, 234 pages. “An ambassador’s life is a curious one,” state authors Diego and Nancy Asencio in their book Diplomats and Terrorists . That understatement prefaces the couple’s account of the 1980 terrorist incident in Bogota, in which Ambassador Asencio and other foreign diplomats were captured at a Dominican Independence Day celebration by the Colom- bian M19 radical military organization and held hostage for 61 days. Nancy and Diego Asencio both share their stories of this ter- rifying ordeal. Nancy recounts her efforts to support her children and the families of other captives while keeping her own self strong; while Diego describes his experience facing the prospect of torture, pain and death. It is a raw, captivating account of a historical event that proved the true power of diplomacy and conflict resolution, and the resilience of the families who support diplomats. During a 30-year career, Ambassador Asencio served in Mex- ico, Panama, Portugal, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. Nancy Asencio, who accompanied her husband to all of his posts, has addressed conferences on “The Psychological Impact of Com- munication on the Hostage and Family” and written a chapter in the book Beyond the Iran-Contra Crisis by Neil C. Livingston and Terrell E. Arnold titled “Managing the Crisis of Hostage Families.” She has also written a novel based on her experiences abroad, The Five Gring as (see p. 43).