Book Description
Mention a diplomatic career and most people imagine high-level meetings, formal dress and cocktail parties. Few stop to think that behind the occasional glitter of official functions are thousands of families facing all the routines and crises of life—births, deaths, childrearing, divorce—far from home, relatives, and friends, in an unfamiliar and sometimes unfriendly country and culture. This book provides reflections and perspectives on the realities of Foreign Service life as experienced by members of the Foreign Service community around the world. The writers share their unvarnished views on a wide variety of topics they care about: maintaining long-distance relationships, raising teens abroad, dealing with depression, coping with evacuations, readjusting to life in the United States, and many others. These are stories from the diplomatic trenches—true experiences from those who have lived the lifestyle and want to share their hard-learned lessons with others.
•If you are new to the Foreign Service, this book will offer insights and practical information useful in your overseas tours and when you return home. Even if you are a seasoned veteran of the Foreign Service, the reports and reflections of others may encourage you to compare and evaluate your own experiences.
• If you (or your partner) are contemplating joining the Foreign Service, this book can serve as a reality check, giving you honest, personal perspectives on both the positive and negative aspects of Foreign Service life.
• If you are a student wondering what the Foreign Service is all about, this book will broaden your knowledge and provide you with an insiderÂ's view not found in any textbook.
Customer Reviews:
enjoyable, quick read.......2007-08-09
I've bought several books for my study of the Foreign Service and the vast majority are hard to slog through. This one was engaging, written by numerous personalities about their experiences from different relationships with a Foreign Service Officer. I was able to finish it in one evening.
Varied and Interesting.......2007-05-21
This book was invaluable for people interested in joining the foreign service. I was considering doing so myself, but after reading this book - and much, much more information and reading matter on the life of a FSO - I was able to decide that it was just not for me. Then again, someone could read this book and be quite moved by it. I certainly hope so. This book did not diminish the great respect I have for FSOs and their families, and in fact I think it increased said respect.
The one qualm I had with this book should not really be considered as such. I had one issue in that it was heavily weighted towards stories of the wives of FSOs, and that domestic partners of all other kinds were seriously underrepresented. However, through reading this book, its introduction, and numerous websites on the issue, the truth seems to be that this is one of those facts about life in the FS right now: the demographics are frighteningly skewed towards a three to four person family with the husband the FSO and the wife following him and taking care of the children. If that offends you in any way, then read this book and see if you could live with it - this will give you some idea of what the FS experience is.
poor.......2007-03-19
This book is full of relatively worthless and obvious quips about living abroad.
There is an entire section devoted to grocery shopping and how it is different in various countries.. no duh. There is also a massive section about Foreign Service wives carrying on about their kids.
Most of the accounts in this book are written by Foreign Service spouses and provides very little insight into the Foreign Service.
Must read for those interested in the Foreign Service.......2007-02-05
This book is simply key in helping you understand what a life in the Foreign Service is like. Several essays provide different insights into the ups and downs of living overseas and the unique challenges of the Foreign Service. You simply must read this before considering that career, and more importantly your spouse must read it also. Arguably, the spouse gives up more to join the Foreign Service. Until I read this book I was on the fence but not too far into the text I decided this wasn't for me or my family, which is really a great thing. If I relied on the State Department view I would have exerted significant time and effort only to find out later or too late. Some critics complain the book is too whiny, and it does come across like that at times. But look at it this way: if you read all the negatives and are still motivated, then the Foreign Service would be incredibly dense to NOT take you.
One of the interesting takeaways for me was that your will likely be evacuated sometime in your career. If you or your spouse can't deal with the thought of flying the wife and kids out of a dangerous country, sitting on C-130 troop seats while the other stays in a dangerous situation, the Foreign Service isn't for you. If you don't mind living like a king overseas and living like a pauper in Washington, the Foreign Service may be for you. If you have to have fast access to pop-tarts you may think twice. If the thought of you or your kids contracting dysentery or other crazy diseases with less than great medical care bothers you, think again. If your spouse has career aspirations you need to seriously consider this option. Before you order that subscription to The Economist, get this book first.
Reality Check.......2006-03-10
I found that this book did a good job showing what life in the Foreign Service is like. I am in the military and there are a lot of similarities. Highly recommended for perspective Foreign Service family members, friends and applicants.
Book Description
In this second volume of AAFSW's Realities of Foreign Life, 29 members of the U.S. diplomatic community - including employees, spouses and one articulate teen - share their knowledge, research and personal perspectives, broadening and extending the first book's candid insights into the Foreign Service lifestyle. Focusing on the "realities" faced by diplomats and their families outside the embassy or consulate walls, the authors explore topics such as schooling and housing abroad, intercultural marriage, medical evacuations, employment for accompanying partners, and the growing number of unaccompanied assignments. - If you are already a member of the Foreign Service community (and especially if you have recently joined), this book will provide useful and practical information for the fascinating but often challenging journey ahead. - If you (or your partner) are thinking about entering the Foreign Service, this book joins the first volume in serving as a "reality check," offering a clear view of both the positive and negative aspects of Foreign Service life, for partners and children as well as employees. - If you are a student contemplating a career in diplomacy, a friend or relative of a Foreign Service member - or if you are simply curious about the lives of U.S. diplomats and their families overseas - this book will give you an insider's perspective found nowhere else.
Customer Reviews:
The job that brings you the whole world.......2007-08-19
Many have wondered if working for the State Department's Foreign Service is the job of their dreams. This book outlines the considerations that many have faced and how they have reacted - from real life. Anyone trying to understand that unique life will benefit from reading these accounts. I've been there-done that - and this is REAL! Check it out!
Customer Reviews:
Not for the mildly interested........2004-05-09
I would not recommend this book for anyone who has only a passing interest in the war of 1812, but for those who already know of the rudiments of the war and desire a more indepth analysis, then this book is fantastic. Graves leaves nothing to be guessed at. The narration is in great detail, almost to the point of being cumbersome, but in the end, it is all worth it.
A Soldiers Battle in the War of 1812.......2002-04-21
This is an excellent study on the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812. For many years little was known about the series of battles fought along the Niagara Frontier in 1814. This book helps to correct that gap. A companion volume to the author's earlier title on the Battle of Chippewa, here again many myths are corrected.
Winfield Scott recklessly lead his well trained brigade against General Drummonds British posted on the bluff above Lundy's Lane. Unlike many accounts of this battle told in most histories, here Mr. Graves shows us that Scott marched his brigade up to the British position, deployed it, and allowed it to be shot to pieces! The British artillery tore Scott's brigade apart while it stood dutifully at attention awaiting Scott's word to advance. But Scott held back, fearful of being outnumbered, and affraid to retreat before a superior enemy. Most histories tell us that Scott recklessy attacked, but the in-depth study of the battle provided here shows us this was not the case. Scott advanced his brigade to contact, but did not commit it completely to attack. Only when Ripley's and Porter's brigades reinforced subsequently did the American's finally attack and carry the British guns. But Scott's brigade will play no part in this process until later.
One of the interesting things about this battle is how poorly both sides fought it. Scott was reckless to the point of mania, while Drummond was weary after the recent defeat at Chippewa. The British general had only to advance his line at any point during the battle and the American position would have been untenible. Why Drummond did not make use of his six light companies to screen his force and harrass the American advance remains one of the mysteries of the battle. The series of British counter-attacks which took place to regain their guns has also been wrongly described by many historians of the action. As the battle continued from late afternoon into night the fighting became more and more confused. If Drummond had properly deployed his skirmishers Brown never could have captured the British artillery. Instead, the Americans were allowed to gain a lodgement in the center of the British line and a bloody series of close range fire-fights took place, all to no avail in driving
back the determined Americans. Both sides would lose in excess of 800 men and the battle would become one of the greatest debacles of the War. Both sides would claim victory, even though neither really could justify it.
For sure the 1814 Niagara Campaign and its battles deserves more attention. It was this campaign and its battles at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and later the siege at Fort Erie which made the ameteur American army into a respected fighting force. If not for these two battles the New Republic would have been disgraced.
We can certainly learn a lot from studying this campaign. Andrew Jackson and New Orleans has been done over and over again. There is little to learn from this one-sided battle which saw Americans safely defeating British regulars from behind entrenchments. What makes Lundy's Lane important is that Brown's brigades went toe-to-toe against British professionals. They gave as good as they got, and could have done a lot worse. Winfield Scott emerges as a somewhat vainglory maniac, who nonetheless drilled his brigade to the point where it could fight like a European army. His colume attack later in the battle, while another dismal failure, illustrates that the American army, when well trained and officered, could perform European tactics. Scott, for all his faults and recklessness, deserves a lot of credit for this.
In sum, Graves has done a great job rescueing an important battle from the dust-bins of history. The narrative is vivid, smooth, and un-biased. Many prints and pictures enhance the text. This is the deffinitive work on this battle for many years to come. All War of 1812 buffs should have it in their collection.
A Soldiers Battle in the War of 1812.......2002-04-21
This is an excellent study on the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812. For many years little was known about the series of battles fought along the Niagara Frontier in 1814. This book helps to correct that gap. A companion volume to the author's earlier title on the Battle of Chippewa, here again many myths are corrected.
Winfield Scott recklessly lead his well trained brigade against General Drummonds British posted on the bluff above Lundy's Lane. Unlike many accounts of this battle told in most histories, here Mr. Graves shows us that Scott marched his brigade up to the British position, deployed it, and allowed it to be shot to pieces! The British artillery tore Scott's brigade apart while it stood dutifully at attention awaiting Scott's word to advance. But Scott held back, fearful of being outnumbered, and affraid to retreat before a superior enemy. Most histories tell us that Scott recklessy attacked, but the in-depth study of the battle provided here shows us this was not the case. Scott advanced his brigade to contact, but did not commit it completely to attack. Only when Ripley's and Porter's brigades reinforced subsequently did the American's finally attack and carry the British guns. But Scott's brigade will play no part in this process until later.
One of the interesting things about this battle is how poorly both sides fought it. Scott was reckless to the point of mania, while Drummond was weary after the recent defeat at Chippewa. The British general had only to advance his line at any point during the battle and the American position would have been untenible. Why Drummond did not make use of his six light companies to screen his force and harrass the American advance remains one of the mysteries of the battle. The series of British counter-attacks which took place to regain their guns has also been wrongly described by many historians of the action. As the battle continued from late afternoon into night the fighting became more and more confused. If Drummond had properly deployed his skirmishers Brown never could have captured the British artillery. Instead, the Americans were allowed to gain a lodgement in the center of the British line and a bloody series of close range fire-fights took place, all to no avail in driving
back the determined Americans. Both sides would lose in excess of 800 men and the battle would become one of the greatest debacles of the War. Both sides would claim victory, even though neither really could justify it.
For sure the 1814 Niagara Campaign and its battles deserves more attention. It was this campaign and its battles at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and later the siege at Fort Erie which made the ameteur American army into a respected fighting force. If not for these two battles the New Republic would have been disgraced.
We can certainly learn a lot from studying this campaign. Andrew Jackson and New Orleans has been done over and over again. There is little to learn from this one-sided battle which saw Americans safely defeating British regulars from behind entrenchments. What makes Lundy's Lane important is that Brown's brigades went toe-to-toe against British professionals. They gave as good as they got, and could have done a lot worse. Winfield Scott emerges as a somewhat vainglory maniac, who nonetheless drilled his brigade to the point where it could fight like a European army. His colume attack later in the battle, while another dismal failure, illustrates that the American army, when well trained and officered, could perform European tactics. Scott, for all his faults and recklessness, deserves a lot of credit for this.
In sum, Graves has done a great job rescueing an important battle from the dust-bins of history. The narrative is vivid, smooth, and un-biased. Many prints and pictures enhance the text. This is the deffinitive work on this battle for many years to come. All War of 1812 buffs should have it in their collection.
Gritty, Accurate Military History.......2000-07-19
Donald Graves is the authority on the campaigns on the Niagara frontier during the War of 1812. Of his three five books on the period and campaigns, this is the best one. It tells the story of a fight that was one of the fiercest fought on the North American continent, even though the numbers on both sides were very small. One British officer who participated, and who had experienced wwarfare in Europe during the period, said it was the hardest, most savage fight he had ever been in. Both sides literally shot each other to pieces, ending in darkness, confusion, and a very unsatisfying draw.
This book is highly recommended. It, along with Graves other books, and those by John Elting and Henry Adams, give the complete story of the War of 1812, the huge amount of territory over which it was fought by small 'armies', the drama, inexperience of the Americans that finally grew into budding professionalism, and the bright moments at sea when the yearling US Navy humbled the proud, seeminly invincible Royal Navy.
Well-written authoritative text that is easy to read, exciting narrative, well-researched and very reliable, this book is one of the best of its type, and the author is one of the best living militiary historians.
A terrific book, makes you feel as though you were there........1999-10-03
Graves knows his stuff and if you like military history, you will want to read this book. His research is impeccable and his writing style makes it seem as though you were reading a very historically accurate novel. The War of 1812 has been long neglected by historians and this, one of the largest and blodiest battles, is almost unknown despite taking place practically on top of Niagra Falls, Ont. This book corrects the situation and will certainly be the definitive work for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
Friend, foe, or an enduring enigma?.......2007-05-23
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the tragic events on this day were primarily the result of "a failure of imagination" in the U.S. intelligence community. How so.....?
The Samson Option provides stunning insights into the abject paralysis (a failure of imagination?) within this same community and nearly throughout the U.S. government as it failed miserably to halt nuclear arms proliferation for nearly 60 years. Every loyal American with an ounce of critical thinking skills should come away from reading this book, appalled with this government's impotence at its highest levels under the leadership of both political parties.
Seymour Hersh's excellence as one of our most accomplished investigative journalists with deep penetration to insiders 'in the know' has only been reaffirmed since he wrote The Samson Option in 1991. To be sure, this is a classic piece of detective work that time has proven to be highly accurate with the perpetrator grudgingly admitting to some of its activities only when every attempt at obfuscation had failed.
This book challenges the notion of an ally, one that is lavishly treated to foreign aid, exclusive access to intelligence assets and advanced weaponry yet cannot be satiated. Rather, it brazenly goes about its practice of espionage and nuclear proliferation at the expense and peril of the United States.
As a reader with reasonable knowledge of history and current events, you will be challenged with an enigma: Can the perpetrator be the victim?
The prosecutor will present an airtight case including the confessions of the perpetrator. The defense will challenge you with irrational arguments, reinforcing the perpetrator's tautology. Your verdict will most likely be influenced by your exposure to ideology and style of education: Were you taught to believe or did you learn to think?
The stakes are remarkably high. Now, radical Christian fundamentalists are seemingly in league with the perpetrator, eager to use this arsenal against the third branch of Abrahamic religions to foment yet another in a long line of religious conflicts. This time the result may be worldwide cataclysm, the consequence of mutually attained, self-fulfilling destruction -- arrogated in the name of the God of Abraham.
In all likelihood you are among the vast majority of innocent human beings holding no malice toward the perpetrator, yet totally unable to affect the outcome of tyranny by a minority. Remember, OUR GOVERNMENT(???), charged by our Constitution to protect us has increasingly chosen to recuse itself for nearly six decades. Now it lies on the floor in a catatonic state, seemingly unwilling to engage in even an innocuous debate, fearing it will reap the wrath of the perpetrator. In the ultimate example of the tail wagging the dog, the U.S. slips deeper into division, chaos, and loss of national sovereignty.
Rub your eyes, but this is not a nightmare. And The Samson Option IS NOT a work of fiction.
Israel, North Korea and Iran?.......2005-04-30
There is no more timely topic in international nuclear proliferation today (May 2005) than the capability of North Korea, Iran, Pakistan and India to produce nuclear weapons. How did we get here? Seymour Hersh has written to blue print for how the nuclear powers - US, USSR, England, France and China - looked the other way while a nation "went nuclear". That nation was Israel. When Hersh published "The Samson Option" in 1991, he had tied together 30 years of speculation, leaked intelligence and flawed policy statements and positions into a cogent and understandable treatise on Israel's nuclear capabilities.
This book is also an eye-opener in how American presidents, from John Kennedy to George Herbert Walker Bush, decided to see only what they wanted to see with Israel's nuclear weaponization. The ultimate example of American politicians' hypocritical, double-dealing and deceitful treatment of Israel's capabilities resided in Lyndon Johnson. While assuring the US of doing everything to stop nuclear proliferation he was taking political donations and dispensing favors to the major Jewish supporters in the US of Israel's weapons facilities. The sad truth, is that like the Irish Republican Army, the greatest private donors to the development of Israel's nuclear bombs were private American citizens.
This book is as fresh and enlightening today as it was when first published in 1991. Find a copy and read it if you want to get an idea of how we may be dealing with India, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea today.
Delilah Factor.......2005-04-27
Interesting effort.Although, the author in a very soft way did touch on the key issue of U.S-Israel relationship.Never have really understood the relationship between U.S and Israel.In history hardly any one country has made so much sacrifices for another country like U.S has done for Israel with such low returns.U.S is in a state of continuous confrontation with Muslim world because of it's one sided support to Israel.It waged war on Iraq which did not have any WMD.It is threatening Iran for its nuclear program while Israel as this book shows hoodwinked every U.S administration by lying & deception to create a nuclear middle east.U.S threatens Syria to pull back forces from Lebanon but cannot even stop building of illegal Isreali settlements on Palestinian land.
If one goes into core of Alqaaeda the only rallying point it has are the atrocities committed by Israel.U.S by by turning a blind eye thus becomes a target of this hate as Sep.11 clearly shows.It is amazing that neither the 911 commission nor the Moore's crusade of Fahrenheit 911 touches on the focal role Israel's extremist policies have played in making our planet such a dangerous place.
Whether it's CNN,FOX news,newspapers such as Newyork Times,Washington post, LA times etc.none has ever had the courage to analyze the U.S Israel relationship in an unbiased manner.Every Cost Benefit analysis would show the same result,U.S bearing the Cost Israel gets the benefit.Even consider Iraq :In final analysis Isreal's most worth while enemy in middle east goes to shreds where as U.S loses total credibility, men & money and who gets the final BENEFIT??
I think as the author also indicated that U.S government must first look into its own interestThe president of United States must be independent enough to chart a policy that keeps U.S interest paramount.However, whether any such president of United States can even ever be elected remains to be seen!!!
Great Detective Work!.......2003-07-29
As is necessary for a subject as shrouded in secrecy, the author must do a considerable amount of detective work in order to arrive at a deep understanding. "The Samson Option" is exemplary in this style of book. Written like a detective story and with not a page lacking suspense, this book rivals any of the best Sherlock Holmes or the best modern-day thrillers. Yet, this is no fiction! It is apparent from the thorough notes that the author hasn't spared an ounce of meticulous research about such an important topic as nuclear weaponry. In it we learn about espionage tales, about cold war alliances, and about nuclear blackmail. Does Israel have nuclear weapons? If so how did they obtain them? What is the United States position on this, and why does it matter? Who funded the Israeli bomb? "The Samson Option" answers all these questions and many more, but in the process generates many more questions and mysteries that remain to be solved. Truly thought-provoking and enjoyable reading!
Friends in Deed.......2003-03-19
The one thing this book points out is that no matter how close of a friend any one country claims to be with another, in the end all countries are out for themselves. I would think that government officials would know this one ancient fact, it must be a staple of foreign policy. Yet reading this book and the stumbling around the US government did you kind of wonder if maybe they were just putting their heads in the sand and hoping the issue would go away. The book details out how Israel bought, lied and stole their way to the nuclear bomb, you got to give it to them they just kept going after the goal they set. The path they took is well laid out by the author and you get a good taste for the political dealing between the US and Israel.
My only complaint with the book is that the author could have spent just a bit more time clearly explaining the fears in Israel that drove them to get the bomb. The author touches on this point but I would have liked more detail. Then again it may be difficult to truly understand their mindset given the violent history they have had over the past century. Overall I found the book to be interesting and well put together yet not overly exciting. If you are interested in this part of history or even how US / Israel politics worked in the cold war then you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for an exciting true life spy story then this is not the book for you.
Product Description
This is a remarkable book about one of the oldest sports in the world -- the art of falconry. It was known as early as 400 B.C., to emerors, kings, knights, and the sportsman in the field. The idea of a swift bird-hunter perched on his master's gauntlet, waiting to soar, excites us to engage in this ancient game. In fact, there is a growing interest in hawking but, alas, all too few books on this subject are in print.
Experts have called The Art of Hawking a minor classic ever since it appeared in 1900. It is essentially a practical treatise which any layman can read with confidence in order to learn the fundamentals of this intriguing field sport. Its chapters are devoted to an explanation of the best methods of training and flying these winged hunters and how to care for them. We learn which birds should be selected for training, the choice of furniture and fittings, accidents and maladies, rook-hawking, game hawking, hawks in the field, in brief, the rules for successful conduct of this ancient sport.
Average customer rating:
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Art and Practice of Hawking
E. B. Michell
Manufacturer: Albert Saifer Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Birds
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0875566561 |
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