Foreign Service Books
Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America (Updated and revised 2005)
Edited by Shawn Dorman, the American Foreign Service Association.
Let's face it; most Americans do not understand the role of U.S. embassies and the Foreign Service. So we've laid it all out: profiles of all types of Foreign Service jobs, day-in-the-life entries describing actual days on the job around the world, and stories from the field, now including extremely challenging Iraq service. The book is filled with photos and maps to help bring the people and places to life in over 50 different countries.
Inside a U.S. Embassy is a great companion book for AAFSW's Realities of Foreign Service Life. AFSA's book is a look at the reality of Foreign Service work and Realities of Foreign Service Life is a look inside Foreign Service life.
Here are a few of the comments AFSA has received about Inside a U.S. Embassy …
"You don't have to be Secretary of State to enter the intriguing world of international diplomacy. What every American needs to know about the role of U.S. embassies is in this volume. Told from the unique vantage point of diplomatic practitioners, the stories recounted here shed light upon a profession little known to most Americans but deeply important to the safety, freedom and prosperity of us all. These are the stories of the men and women who serve America's interests-often under difficult and dangerous conditions-from the great cities to the most remote corners of the globe."
Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State.
"Anyone who has been connected to American diplomacy knows how often the question is asked, 'But what do you do in an embassy?' Here is the answer: a heck of a lot. Our citizens and our friends around the world will learn from this lively book just how vital the Foreign Service is to our country's well-being and to the betterment of all peoples."
George P. Shultz, Former Secretary of State.
"Inside a U.S. Embassy is required reading for the first week of my university seminar on practical diplomacy. My students are amazed at the variety and uniqueness of Foreign Service work described in the book's first-hand accounts. I wouldn't teach the course without it."
Ambassador Genta Hawkins Holmes, University of California at Davis.
"Every day in hundreds of places around the world, thousands of your fellow Americans are at work in direct support of you and your interests. From helping Americans in trouble, to formulating American foreign policy, to talking to foreign leaders about cooperation in hundreds of different areas from trade and technology to nuclear war, these people make a difference. This book tells the fascinating inside story of how it all works for you."
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
For more information about Inside a U.S. Embassy, or to order directly from AFSA, visit AFSA's website. The price is $12.95 per book, plus shipping & handling. Discounts are available for quantity orders, and are listed on the AFSA website. To order by phone, call (847) 364-1222, or send a purchase order by fax to (847)364-1268. The book is also available through Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and most other online book retailers. In the D.C. area, you can find it at the George Washington University bookstore, the FARA store at State, and the Georgetown University bookstore.
To request a complimentary copy for outreach purposes, e-mail embassybook@afsa.org. Include your name and mailing address, and state your plans for using the book.