THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2024 29 and served in Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Senegal, Nigeria, and South Africa. LaGamma is a past recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. He lives in Reston, Virginia. Heshima: Les dix rocs du respect Laurent Lubulu, L’Harmattan, 2024, $23.60/paperback, print only, 222 pages. In this French-language memoir, Foreign Service spouse Laurent Lubulu argues that respect is the cornerstone of all virtues. rough colorful anecdotes from his own life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, and many other places, the author shares his understanding of respect— de ned here as dignity, tolerance, gratitude, and compassion— which he learned from his mother’s culture. In the epilogue, Lubulu calls for women’s power as a way to improve the future of humankind. Laurent Lubulu is currently posted in Abuja with his spouse, O ce Management Specialist Tammy Lubulu. ey have previously served in Mali, Benin, Djibouti, Bahrain, Eritrea, and Senegal. Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service Robyn McCutcheon, Westphalia Press, 2024, $16.25/paperback, e-book available, 338 pages. Robyn McCutcheon was the rst Foreign Service o cer to transition gender while posted overseas, and Queer Diplomacy is the only book out there that tells the story of what it’s like to be transgender in the Foreign Service. McCutcheon writes about the experience of being both a diplomat and gender nonconforming. How does being a diplomat a ect the personal life of someone who is gender nonconforming? How does a gender nonconforming person represent the U.S. government in the countries where they are posted? Is a gender nonconforming person able to in uence U.S. policy in ways that a cisgender person cannot? McCutcheon addresses these questions while relating her own experience. During 15 years in the Foreign Service, Robyn McCutcheon was posted to Moscow, Bucharest, Tashkent, Astana, and Washington, D.C. She retired in 2019. From the Arctic Circle to Zambia and Exotic Places In-Between: Memoirs of a Foreign Service Spouse Who Is Also a Birdwatcher! Janet Peterson, BookBaby, 2023, $19.99/paperback, print only, 400 pages. is memoir by Janet Peterson chronicles her family’s daily life, adventures, and misadventures after her spouse, Jon Peterson, joined the Foreign Service midcareer as an information management specialist. While adapting to new living arrangements, Janet observes the local ora and fauna (especially birds—her passion), which leads to a deeper understanding of the cultural di erences in each country they are assigned to. Janet Peterson was posted with her spouse, Jon, who joined the Foreign Service in 2001, to Yaoundé, Bern, San José, Lusaka, and Oslo. Upon his retirement in 2019, they moved to Delaware, where they are in the process of restoring a Victorian house. Classes of Travel: Things I Learned and Taught Along the Way Edward August Schack, BookBaby, 2024, $28.22/paperback, e-book available, 492 pages. Edward August Schack has worn many hats overseas. He wrote this memoir about the years he spent working in 36 countries as a Peace Corps volunteer, English teacher, U.S. Customs inspector, State Department employee, and Foreign Service spouse—speci cally the challenges he and his wife, retired FSO Mary Pauline Stickles, faced. ey not only juggled dual professional careers but also explored the world as a family, ensuring that their three children received good educations. Edward August Schack and his spouse were posted in Bangkok, Yerevan, Kabul, Zagreb, and Washington, D.C.
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