The Foreign Service Journal, November 2022

38 NOVEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL behind-the-scenes stories from famous games and interactions with other all-stars such as Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Dennis Rodman. Michael Arkush is the spouse of retired Foreign Service Officer Pauletta Walsh. While with Walsh on assignments in St. Petersburg and Kyiv, Arkush wrote books. He has authored or co-authored 16 published works, including Losing Isn’t Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History with Curt Menefee (2016) and The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring with Sugar Ray Leonard (2011). Arkush also regularly contributes to The New York Times . Arkush and Walsh currently reside in Oak View, California, where he continues to write, and she works for the State Department as a reemployed annuitant. Memoir of a Foreign Service Secretary Fran Brokaw Davey, independently published, 2021, $12.95/paperback, print only, 94 pages. In 1959, Frances (Fran) Brokaw Davey received the call offering her a Foreign Service secretary position with exuber- ance and a touch of doubt—was she ready to leave Cleveland, Ohio, for an unpredictable life abroad? Davey’s professional journey takes her far from the Midwest, offering an abundance of cultural experiences and personal growth opportunities. Whether bonding with her first-ever roommate, Dotty, in Washington, D.C., or getting married in Mexico, Davey shares her story with appreciation for each “learning curve” and unexpected encounter—from contending with “a variety of uninvited critters” in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to learning to drive her first car in Tokyo traffic. Once a self- described “timid Cleveland girl,” Davey exhibits an enthusiasm for the Foreign Service life that enables her to get further out of her comfort zone than she imagined possible and inspires those around her, as well. During a 20-year career in the Foreign Service, Fran Davey lived and worked in 11 countries, including Ethiopia, Argentina, Israel, and Egypt. Her husband, Richard Davey, also held a position at State during this time. The Daveys have two children and currently reside in Washington state and Arizona, seasonally. To purchase this book, email rafldavey@gmail.com. Star-Struck Francesca Moran, Authorhouse, 2022, $13.99/paperback, e-book available, 138 pages. Francesca Moran’s 2019 memoir Blown by the Wind chronicled her and David Moran’s love story from their first meeting through David’s descent into vascular dementia in 2013 and his death in 2017. Her latest work, Star- Struck , is a sequel, in which Moran chronicles her grieving and its vast, imaginary landscape. In the first chapter, memories, love letters, and dreams memorialize the couple’s history together as global citizens; but with chapter 2, a different, fantastic dimension opens. The couple becomes, as Moran writes, “ghosts, discovering new life forms on a new planet” and exploring the limits of time and space. Together they encounter stunning landscapes, Indigenous tribal members, and even another human couple, Jackie and Henry, on what Moran describes as “the lost planet” before witnessing a vicious battle and returning to earth years later. Francesca Moran was born in Saigon in 1943. While attending The George Washington University in 1969, she met and eventually married FSO David Moran (now deceased), who was then studying for his assignment with the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support Pacification program in Vietnam. The Morans and their two children, Betsy and Danny, traversed the globe together until David’s retirement. Peru After Chamba Judith Ravin, Tresmitades, 2022, available (free) online: www.tresmitades.com, 92 pages. Peru After Chamba —or after “work,” from Peruvian slang—explores the people and spaces of Peru through a series of 30 short, descriptive reports. Infused with “wonder, reflection and humor,” each narrative adds an element to the complex cultural fabric observed by the author, Judith Ravin, during her time in and around Lima. For example, there is an abrupt but friendly exchange with a fuel station attendant and an enlightening experience trading and selling clothing with women in the local marketplace. Ravin’s journalism background aids in capturing visual details, and each setting is presented deliberately and