The Foreign Service Journal, November 2013

44 NOVEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL to be very tricky for beginners due to the many different sounds they can make within words. The author draws on her international experience in devel- oping successful educational tools for reading, and this book is meant to help other parents and educators, especially children who may be growing up abroad. While traveling the world with her FSO husband, Lyle van Ravenswaay, the author started schools in Libya and Togo (the latter is still in existence). She brought the skills acquired while teaching at these schools home to the United States, where she became a literacy volunteer. It was at this point that she decided to share her teaching method through this book. Caring for Your Gay Teen James Brush, www.lulu.com, 2013, $2, e-book. Parenting teenagers is a daunting under- taking in the best of circumstances. For parents of a teen who might be question- ing his or her sexual identity, who might have interests considered unusual for his or her gender, or who might not be heterosexual, the challenges can be even greater. Caring for Your Gay Teen is a primer for parents who wish to support their gay or questioning teen. In it, Dr. James Brush presents the latest research and developing consensus on these issues in nontechnical prose. He candidly explores potential dangers and offers realistic strategies and suggestions. At the same time, he reassures parents about their ability to navigate the situation, gently challenging them to be assertive advocates for their child’s needs and rights. “Gay teens whose parents use this advice will more likely transit adolescence with a deep sense of nonjudgmental sup- port, which provides a foundation for self-esteem, coping skills and well-being. As a clinical psychologist working with families and individuals for 30 years, I highly recommend Caring for Your Gay Teen ,” says Dr. Mike Bowers of Denver, Colo. James Brush, the spouse of Foreign Service health practi- tioner Marianne Knue, is a child psychologist in the Child and Family Program of the State Department’s Office of Medical Services. In Caesar’s Household Ernest H. Latham Jr., Editura Vremea, 2013, $15.55, paperback, 128 pages. In Caesar’s Household is a collection of sermons by the author that were delivered while he was serving in Romania and Greece between 1983 and 1987 and shortly thereafter. In them he covers a number of overarching themes, many of which involve attitudes and ideas prevailing in the region at the time— most notably, the Cold War and communism and how they subsequently intertwined with faith and religion. Ernest H. Latham Jr. was the American cultural attaché in Romania and Greece in the 1980s. He is currently the coordinator of advanced area studies for Romania and Moldova at the Foreign Service Institute. He is also the author of Timeless and Transitory: 20th Century Relations Between Romania and the English Speak- ing World (see p. 24). Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wines William S. Shepard, Uncle Seth Cutler Press, 2011, $5.95, Kindle Edition. This volume updates the author’s well- regarded 2003 guidebook by covering the Bordeaux vintages of 2005, 2009 and 2010, and the celebrated Burgundy vintage of 2009. But it retains the thoroughness and humor of the original. William Shepard’s central mission is to get readers to stop relying on point scores, and develop their own good taste to appreciate these fine wines. Though he belongs to five prestigious French wine societies, he wears his knowledge lightly. The guidebook is user-friendly, following a logical progres- sion from the regions of Bordeaux (the Médoc, St. Emilion and Pomerol) to Burgundy (with separate chapters for the celebrated regions of the Côte d’Or, Champagne and the Rhône Valley). Shepard thoughtfully embeds hyperlinks for all the wine produc- ers in each region, along with e-mail addresses to facilitate read- ers who wish to make appointments. Career FSOWilliam S. Shepard, who retired as consul general in Bordeaux, also served in Singapore, Saigon, Budapest, Athens and Washington, D.C. He has written more than a dozen books on a variety of topics. n