36 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A Diplomatic Life (or Two): A Love Story Larry and Judy Mandel, independently published, 2025, $12.99/paperback, e-book available, 129 pages. During his career as a Foreign Service officer with the State Department, Larry Mandel spent more than 32 years living overseas and in Washington, D.C., with his spouse, Judy. Together, they raised their four children to appreciate and enjoy all the world has to offer. This account spans their journey from meeting on their first day at American University, to how they wound up with “two careers, one salary.” Larry and Judy Mandel served in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), London, Tokyo, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Jakarta, Amman, and Ankara. After retiring in 2016, he served on the Foreign Service Grievance Board (2017–2022), including as chair (2019–2022). Passages: Life of Challenge and Service Dell Pendergrast, independently published, 2025, $12.00/paperback, print only, 176 pages. In Passages, retired FSO Dell Pendergrast has published memories and reflections from his Midwest origins, his 32-year career as a Foreign Service officer, and his passion for acting. Each short chapter shares a vignette from his career overseas, his family life, or his community theater performances in Washington, D.C. Dell Pendergrast served in the U.S. Information Agency for more than three decades beginning in 1965, with postings in Belgrade, Zagreb, Saigon, Warsaw, Brussels, and Ottawa. My View from Here: My Journey Around the World as a Diplomat’s Wife Tori Peters, Sidekick Press, 2026, $19.95/paperback,e-book available, 292 pages. In 1977 Tori Peters arrived in Bamako, Mali, with her husband, four young children, and a cat, to begin her life as a spouse of a U.S. diplomat. She didn’t speak French, didn’t know what was expected of her, and was unprepared for the poverty and heartbreak she’d encounter. In the women of Mali, Peters discovered strength, resilience, and a deeper understanding of herself. She had postings in six more countries over the next two decades—years marked by cultural discovery, political unrest, and personal growth. When tragedy struck, she learned to stand on her own, ultimately walking the Camino de Santiago alone to honor her courage and the spirit of women across time. In this memoir, she shares her stories of adventure, loss, and transformation. Tori Peters is the wife and widow of retired Foreign Service Officer Ronald J. Peters. The family was posted in Bamako, Kigali, Tunis, Kabul, Taipei, Ottawa, and New Delhi. From Oklahoma to Africa: My Journey Nelda Villines, Genesis Publishing House, 2025, $20.00/paperback, e-book available, 348 pages. This memoir chronicles Foreign Service Specialist Nelda Villines’ 31-year journey from rural Oklahoma to Africa. She writes of training in Washington, D.C., having surgery overseas, supporting communities struggling with HIV/ AIDS, and visiting her first game reserve in Africa, which sparked an interest in wildlife photography. Through her experience with people from various cultures and traditions, she shares with readers insight into their lives and challenges. Nelda Villines joined the State Department as an office management specialist (OMS) in 1991 and served in Helsinki, San José, Maseru, Harare, Lusaka, Mbabane, Khartoum, and Accra. She also spent time as an OMS “rover” in Bamako, Juba, Conakry, Lomé, Cape Town, Yaoundé, Malabo, Nairobi, Praia, Banjul,
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