48 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Written by Geling Yan, the spouse of retired FSO Lawrence Walker, and translated by Walker, the novel is based on the life experiences of Yan’s grandparents and served as the inspiration for two films by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The original Chinese-language book sold more than a million copies. Artist Ai Weiwei designed the front cover for this English-language edition. Lawrence Walker, Yan’s husband, joined the State Department in 1980 and served in Mexico City, Bonn, Taipei, Shenyang, and Washington, D.C. He worked for Bank of America from 1991 to 2004 before returning to the department and serving in Abuja, Taipei, Berlin, and Stuttgart. He retired in 2013. FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS The Cat Who Went to Heaven Elizabeth Coatsworth, narrated by David Feldmann, independently published, 2026, $8.99/audiobook, 1 hour and 16 minutes. While generations have treasured The Cat Who Went to Heaven—1931 winner of the Newbery Medal—this is the first audiobook production of the work. When Elizabeth Coatsworth originally wrote the book in 1930, she broke the narrative into eight parts, ending each part with a “song of the housekeeper,” which provided an emotional summary of the preceding scenes. Coatsworth presented the songs, however, as simple poems, never offering the chords or melodies that would allow a narrator to easily sing the songs. Narrated by retired public diplomacy officer David Feldmann, this audiobook contains original musical compositions based on Coatsworth’s lyrics from the text. David Feldmann joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and served in Chennai, San Salvador, Laskhar Gah, Dar es Salaam, Maputo, Johannesburg, and Washington, D.C. He retired in 2026. Lilly Bug and Friends: Hoedown Hulabaloo Kevin Manly, independently published, 2026, $11.99/paperback, print only, 34 pages. In Hoedown Hulabaloo, Taylor Spot heads to the tiny town of Wee Whoa for the biggest country hoedown ever. But when a malfunctioning invention transforms Lilly Bug and her friends into hilarious animal hybrids and scatters machine parts across town, they must work together to fix the chaos before the show begins. This is the latest book in the heartwarming children’s book series that follows Lilly Bug and her friends as they navigate exciting adventures in the magical community of Wee Whoa. Each story combines fun, humor, and colorful characters with valuable lessons about friendship, resilience, teamwork, and protecting the world around us. Kevin Riha, who publishes under the pen name Kevin Manly, has been a Diplomatic Security Service agent for 16 years. He has served in New York City, Lahore, Bogotá, Nairobi, and Detroit. He is currently posted in Nuevo Laredo. Hum Rise Nancy J. Nelson, Brown Leaf Press, 2025, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 341 pages. They told you disclosure would change everything. It did, but not in ways the powerful could accept. The corporations lost. But the Pentagon hasn’t. And the people who profit from keeping humanity sick and dependent are not done fighting. Vicki Heywood is back at the State Department, this time running the office nobody wanted to create: the Office of Multispecies Relations. Washington is more dangerous than ever. The Department of Defense wants control of the alien question, and it’s willing to kidnap, smear, and silence anyone who gets in the way. The old guard has one weapon left: to make people afraid. The young people—human, Suede, and Alpha Centaurian—have something stronger. This is the second book of the Disclosure Files series. Nancy Nelson spent 25 years as an economic officer with the State Department, serving in Caracas, Managua, Tallinn, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C.
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