THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 31 ments for books all year. Contact Ad Manager Molly Long at long@afsa.org. We can feature only one book by each author. For inclusion, books must be available for purchase, and we use publisher list prices as of press time in late October. Also note: Inclusion of a book in this collection does not imply endorsement by AFSA or the FSJ. AFSA welcomes the opportunity to share the news of books published by members of the FS community but does not vouch for the contents of the books. This year, in addition to five works of history or biography and two books on policy and issues, we have 13 memoirs, 26 works of fiction, one volume of poetry, and five self-help books and guidebooks. As always, we also offer a selection of recent books “of related interest” to diplomats and their families that were not written by FS authors (for that section, see page 40). It takes a village to put this collection together. This year, it was assembled by Publications Coordinator Hannah Harari. ITOW and ORI blurbs were written by Deputy Editor Donna Gorman and Senior Editor Susan Maitra. —Shawn Dorman, Editor in Chief The Foreign Service Journal is pleased to present our 24th annual Foreign Service authors roundup. With “In Their Own Write,” we celebrate the wealth of literary talent within the Foreign Service community and give our readers the opportunity to support their storytelling colleagues. Many of these titles, in particular the memoirs, are excellent resources for anyone contemplating a career in international affairs. And the list comes to you in time for your holiday shopping. Each entry contains full publication details along with a brief commentary sent to us by the author. All listed prices are for the paperback edition unless there is only a hardcover edition; where an e-book is available that is noted. This year our list of books written, edited, or translated by Foreign Service personnel and their family members stands at 52. The list is not a definitive record of works by FS authors. As always, we rely on the authors themselves to bring their books to our attention. If your recent book is not listed here, please let us know, and we can add it to next year’s collection. We accept submissions for the November-December FSJ all year—for more information, email InTheirOwnWrite@afsa.org. We also welcome advertiseMEMOIRS An American Diplomat: How It Happened Ralph Milton Buck, SB Publications, 2025, $14.95/paperback, e-book available, 326 pages. This memoir revisits the author’s experiences abroad starting with the war in Vietnam through Afghanistan in 2005. It covers the 1979 attack on the U.S. embassy in Iran, murders of U.S. ambassadors, the Panama Canal treaties and rise of Noriega, economic crises in South America in the 1980s and 1990s, and anti-narcotics work overseas. Each chapter includes an analysis of lessons learned and offers some surprising conclusions. Ralph Milton Buck was a Foreign Service officer for 33 years. He worked in nine different bureaus in the State Department and served in eight countries (Vietnam, Canada, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, and Afghanistan). He served in two wars, survived at least one revolution, and was evacuated out of Iran in 1979. Buck graduated from the University of Florida, did graduate work at the University of North Carolina, and has a master’s degree in economics from Georgetown University. Dark Agent: Global Service & Sacrifice, the Memoirs of L.W. Kwakou Casselle L.W. Kwakou Casselle, independently published, 2025, $25.99/hardcover, e-book available, 234 pages. This is the story of a Black kid from Las Vegas who was destined to become a high school dropout—until he was sent 1,500 miles from home to learn service and discipline at a military school in Missouri. He would go on to launch a new life, earning an ROTC scholarship to attend Hampton University before getting his commission as an Army officer and leading infantry soldiers in the 1st Cavalry Division. This nonstop adventure takes you across some of the world’s most dangerous cities, where the “Dark Agent” rescues Americans, provides aid to the wounded, and captures fugitives, all while raising a young family. His journey takes him from the inner city to the White House and beyond as he follows a family tradition of service and sacrifice. L.W. Kwakou Casselle is a retired Senior Foreign Service specialist with 22 years of service as a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agent. Casselle served as director of counterterrorism at the White House and chief of staff for DSS. Overseas he served in Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Belize, and Afghanistan.
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