The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

54 NOVEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL together family history and recipes that have been passed down through written and oral tradition. The fundamentals of everyday meals, various manifestations of the Norwegian staple, smørbrød (open-faced sandwiches), and recipes for everything from Scandi- navian fruit soup to fried chicken with gravy enrich the pages. Irene Sandvold grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wis., and graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing. Now a doctor of public health, public health nurse, and certified nurse-midwife, she and her husband Lars H. Hydle, a retired FSO and former AFSA president (1977-1979), live in Washington, D.C. Ingeborg Hydle Baugh, Irene’s daughter, is a freelance writer with a background in finance who lives in Washington, D.C. Edward Sandvold, Irene’s son, passed away in 2005. Quinn Sand- vold, Edward’s son, has been a cook all his life in the tradition of both his father and grandmother. He lives in Longmont, Colo. Arabic for Life: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic Bassam K. Frangieh, Yale University Press, 2012, $85, paperback, 528 pages. This comprehensive, intensive begin- ner’s guide to the Arabic language encompasses a multitude of exercises, charts, diagrams and tips on perfecting one’s linguistic technique. Unlike other textbooks, Arabic for Life focuses on both grammar and proficiency during the early stages of learning to ensure more successful future comprehension and dialogue capabilities. By accenting the book with color photographs, ranging from snapshots of Syrian landscapes to the ImamAli Shrine in Iraq, author and teacher BassamK. Frangieh enables students to appre- hend the language in a broader, more realistic sense that offers both context and cultural exposure. The book comes with an audio disc that supplements the exercises, giving students examples of proper pronunciation and nurturing their listening skills. BassamK. Frangieh, the spouse of retired FSO Aleta Wenger, is a professor of Arabic at Claremont-McKenna College. Mr. Frangeih previously taught at Georgetown, Yale and the Foreign Service Institute. He is the author of Anthology of Arabic Litera- ture, Culture andThought from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present (Yale University Press, 2004). English Brain–Arabic Learner: Easy Adult Comprehension of the Arabic Language Mu Octavis Taalib, Outskirts Press, 2012, $19.95, paperback, 69 pages. In this concise, clear study guide, Mu Octa- vis Taalib attempts to reverse the notion that “Arabic is too hard.” Languages are acquired, not learned, he stresses in the preface. This manual is broken down into steps so that learning the language is a process that feels simple, feasible and natural. The approach emphasizes sound, learning symbols and represen- tations, and putting sound and symbol together to formulate thoughts, before finally understanding the Arabic dictionary. Mu Octavis Taalib, an FSO who retired fromUSAID in 2009, is a certified Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages who also teaches Arabic in suburban Atlanta. Having studied the Arabic language fromNashid Abdul Khaaliq, an Arabic scholar from Boston, Taalib cultivated his skills during the latter part of his FS career when he was based in Cairo and traveled extensively in Jordan, Israel, Yemen and Morocco. 1040NR? Or 1040? + International Organization and Foreign Embassy Employees Jean Mammen, CreateSpace 2012, $19.95, paperback, 120 pages. International living can made tax prepara- tion especially complex and confusing. Whether you are an American citizen or resident working abroad for an embassy or international organization, in the United States on a visa, or a tax professional offering advice, this handbook is for you. Besides step-by-step advice and explanations, this down-to- earth book features a set of “EZ Guides” to clarify critical deci- sions that make for effective elections, statements and protective returns. Author Jane Mammen first created them to facilitate her own work with international clients, then expanded them into guides for her colleagues. The handbook is now in its second edition; the author revised it based on the insights she gained in four sessions of using the first edition to teach Washington, D.C.-area tax professionals. Jean Mammen, a retired FSO and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, is an enrolled agent with 15 years of experience doing individual income tax returns. She specializes in returns with an international dimension. n