The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

70 NOVEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL certainly proves Mr. Roberts correct when he tells us: “Poverty is the mother of invention.” It also makes crystal clear that author Justin List is rich in imagination and a roguish sense of humor. Justin List has been with the Foreign Service since 2013, serving in Myanmar, Iraq, Chicago and Greensboro, and has been trying to replace “Weird Al” Yankovic in the music universe since 2002. His tunes are available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc., under the alias Van Pimpenstein. WTF—World Tobacco Festival: A Hillbilly’s Rise to Glory (2017) was his first book. Croatian Wine: Regions, Grapes, and History Greg Viola, independently published, 2021, $14.99/paperback, e-book available, 192 pages. Even among oenophiles, the wines of Croatia are one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. Fortunately, Greg Viola is here to unlock that mystery for read- ers. Whether you’re a tourist plan- ning a trip or an armchair traveler who loves to read about vineyards, this book lays out the country’s impressive array of native grape varietals, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. As a bonus, Viola describes the traditions behind each of Croatia’s diverse regions. With beginner-friendly tips on choosing your wine, regional maps, an easy pronunciation guide and descriptions of the country’s best wineries, this book contains everything you’ll need to dive into the world of Croatian vino. Greg Viola joined the Foreign Service in 2015. After serving in the consular section of Embassy Tegucigalpa, he now works in the economic section of Embassy Zagreb. Prior to joining the State Department, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho and later worked at Canada’s Mission to the United Nations in New York City. He was also a bartender on Manhattan’s Lower East Side for many years, a job that laid the groundwork for his love of fine wines. He and his wife, Lorian, and son, Georgie, look forward to their next posting, in Kosovo in 2022. Begat: Tales of Disappointment Philip Skotte, Liferich Publishing, 2020, $11.99/paperback, e-book available, 124 pages. Why do we endure suffering and death? Why do pandemics, unjust kill- ings and economic turmoil befall us? In Begat , Philip Skotte looks at these problems through the ancient wisdom of our ancestors. At the center of the story is John Malcom, an American of Swedish extraction who carries a burden of anger over the loss of his beloved daughter early in life. He has to come to terms with the pain and bitterness before he can meet her again, and this is a task he accomplishes not by examining his own life but by seeing the lives of others before him: his ancestors. Philip Skotte has served as a U.S. Foreign Service officer for 28 years, serving in Manila, Vatican City, Hong Kong, Budapest, Moscow, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. Before joining the Foreign Service, he worked as a schoolteacher, ship’s carpenter and commercial fisherman. He is also the author of Why Jesus Won’t Go Away: A Diplomat Reflects on Faith (2014) and Twenty Things to Do after You Die (2020). Egypt: The Book of Time Michael Gfoeller, Outskirts Press, 2021, $57.95/paperback, e-book available, 206 pages. Michael Gfoeller first set foot in Egypt back in 1979 as an international student. In his introduction to this book of photographs, he calls that first sojourn in Cairo “a life-changing shock, a jolt of consciousness-raising cultural electricity.” He has returned to Egypt often over the years, waging “a lifelong struggle with its ancient language, which is of maddening difficulty and entrancing richness.” In these pages, he offers the reader a selection of his photographs of Egyptian temples and monuments, each accompanied by translations of the hieroglyphic texts that adorn them. Unlike modern writing, the hieroglyphic script was intended to be both visual art and writing, both image and text, simultaneously. Indeed, their aesthetic quality reinforces the message of each inscription, indissolubly combining meaning and beauty.