The Foreign Service Journal, November 2022

54 NOVEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL started his business career working for Fortune 500 companies and later transferred this experience to the public sector. The Young Black Leader’s Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs: What the Giants Want You to Know Aaron S. Williams, Taylor A. Jack, and Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2022, $26.50/paperback, e-book available, 271 pages. A retired FSO, a development expert and former Peace Corps volunteer, and a university professor teamed up to write this guide to inspire young people to pursue careers in international affairs and, more specifically, to “ensure that Black students and early- and mid-career professionals have the guidance they need to succeed” in the foreign policy arena. In compiling the guide, the authors turned to those in international affairs—Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, now the State Department’s chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), wrote the foreword; and other ambassadors and senior-level Foreign Service officers including Ambassadors Linda Thomas- Greenfield, Johnnie Carson, and Ruth Davis, provided input on topics such as how to gain professionally relevant experience, dealing with racism, and facing the challenges of leadership. Although intended for early-career Black professionals, the guide offers useful advice for anyone hoping to attain a leadership position within the government or foreign affairs community. Co-author Aaron Williams spent 22 years at USAID, retiring as mission director for South Africa, and served as director of the U.S. Peace Corps from 2009 to 2012. Former Peace Corps volunteer Taylor Jack now works for an international development consulting firm, and Jennifer Brinkerhoff is professor of public administration and international affairs at The George Washington University. GED Test 2022/2023 for Dummies Tim Collins, John Wiley & Sons, 2022, $26.99/paperback, e-book available, 480 pages. A comprehensive guide to preparing for the General Education Degree test, GED for Dummies presents a detailed overview of each section of the test, including grammar, punctuation, mathematical reasoning, social studies, and reasoning through language arts. Each part of the book contains practice questions and explains various test-taking skills, such as managing one’s time, solving ques- tions with and without a calculator, and preparing for a success- ful experience on the day of the test. In addition, two complete practice exams and access to digital resources through the companion mobile app are provided. The final chapter helpfully discusses how to use the GED after testing, taking the reader through practical steps frommaintaining self-esteem to explor- ing new job opportunities. Regional English Language Officer (RELO) Tim Collins, Ph.D., has worked in the field of education for more than 40 years. He has specialized in materials development for the GED test for more than 25 years and has helped countless learners prepare for and pass this life-changing test. He is currently posted in Kinshasa, where he supports English-language programming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and 10 other countries: Congo-Brazzaville, Burundi, Rwanda, Gabon, Zambia, Malawi, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Equatorial Guinea. Collins previously served in Kyiv and Kazakhstan. Live Your New Story: Discover Your Best Self and Live Your Best Life Dominique Narciso, Outskirts Press, 2020, $15.95/paperback, e-book available, 118 pages. Based on the experience of overcom- ing personal and professional chal- lenges as a Foreign Service spouse, Live Your New Story offers a guide for redefining success in varying environ- ments. Dominique Narciso’s seven-step framework—reflect, explore, challenge your beliefs, grow, transform, thrive, and awaken—is designed to empower and motivate, while guiding individuals to embrace their life’s own seasons. “No matter what stage of life you are in, shifting your identity and reinventing yourself is a journey inward as much as it is a journey outward,” says Narciso, who describes herself as a “recovering perfection- ist” and is a certified high-performance coach. Dominique Narciso is the founder of the Narciso Kim Group and host of the podcast “The Positive Success Show.” She specializes in coaching diplomats, entrepreneurs, social innovators, and other professionals and has lived and worked in Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, Indonesia, South Korea, California,