The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2021 69 Curse of the Forgotten Elizabeth A. Drysdale, Cedar Fort, 2020, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 236 pages. This debut young adult novel is a page-turner with solid characters and just the right mix of fantasy and fairy tale. An ingenious and surprising take on the classic Beauty and the Beast is at the heart of the story told by the teenage Wren. She has been living in New York with her aunt ever since her mother left her behind to live with her boyfriend. Despite a fierce rebellious streak, she’s on track to graduate from high school early. But when her mother suddenly sends for her, Wren is forced to move to the middle of nowhere to live with her mother’s new family. Desperate to get back to New York, Wren gets lost in an enormous cave where she is drawn into an ancient rivalry and learns she must break a curse if she ever wishes to leave. Elizabeth A. Drysdale won her first writing award at the age of 7. She developed a fascination with travel early on, and her characters often end up far fromwhere they start. The daughter of State Department FSO Clay Allen, an Air Force veteran, she spent time with her father on tours in the Philippines and Singapore, as well as when he was stationed in Okinawa with the Air Force. Originally from the back woods of Massachusetts, she now lives in a small town in northern Utah with her husband, three sons, one dog and eight chickens. Her second novel, Out of Time , is due to be published in November. POTPOURRI What in the Baby?!?: The Modern Mama’s Guide to Confidently Caring for Your Baby and Surviving the Postpartum Period Mercedes Thomas, independently published, 2021, $12.99/paperback, e-book available, 126 pages. Mercedes Thomas notes in her intro- duction to What in the Baby?!?: The Modern Mama’s Guide to Confidently Caring for Your Baby and Surviving the Postpartum Period that she has been gathering material for this manual throughout her nursing career. But it wasn’t until she became a mother herself in 2018 that she felt a compelling need to publish it. The book’s goal is to help “modern mamas” prepare for their babies’ arrival by empowering themselves with reputable information that is easy to understand, without a bunch of fluff. It covers such topics as baby care, infant safety, the fourth trimester, postpartum depression, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, developmental milestones and sleep. Also known as Mercedes the NP, Mercedes Thomas is a health content writer, advanced practice nurse and maternal- child health consultant. She is the wife of AnJuan Thomas, a Foreign Service facility manager, and mother to their spirited and sweet 3-year-old son. They are on their first overseas assignment in Bogotá. Thomas has been in the pediatric nursing field for more than a decade. She completed her undergraduate nursing studies at Emory University and went on to earn her Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of South Alabama. During her nursing career, she has worked with families and children in the neonatal intensive care unit, and both inpatient and primary care pediatrics. Now, as the founder of Thomas Health Education and Consulting, she creates engaging digital health content that focuses on educating families and organizations about pediatrics, lactation, parenting and wellness. Growing Up Poor in Ripley Justin List, independently published, 2020, $7.75/paperback, e-book available, 77 pages. Did you know that sleeveless shirts were invented in Ripley, Ohio, by the parents of Paul Brian Roberts, who “narrates” the tales crafted by Justin List for this volume? As Mr. Roberts explains, back in the 1980s his resourceful, albeit perpetually cash-strapped, family also invented hot dog cigars, bologna Chapstick, baby straitjackets, baby handcuffs, baby shackles, baby tasers, walking urinals and beer candles, among other unique products. Readers must decide for themselves whether any of those historical nuggets are true. But fair warning: You will probably be laughing way too hard at the exploits of the Roberts clan to weigh the evidence impartially. Growing Up Poor in Ripley