Customer Reviews

The Unofficial Diplomat: A memoir

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I read this book because I am an American who lived in Kenya and was interested to hear about another woman's experiences living abroad. I couldn't put this book down. Joanne has lived through some of the turning points international history (Tiannamen Square, Nairobi Bombing) and hearing her stories from the point of view of a mother, businesswoman, and diplomats wife was fascinating. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in foreign policy, travel, and reading about a strong, resourceful woman. Very inspiring.

Joanne Grady Huskey, a diplomat's wife, who has lived through such international crisis as Tiannaman Square and the bombing of our American Embassy in Nirobi, shares her personal experences in a fast paced book full of adventures most of us only dream of.
Hers was an eventful, exciting and productive lifestyle in the foreign service. Sharing how she gives back to each posting, whether it's establishing her own company, Global Adjustments, to chairing the American Women's Association where she raised money to aid Nirobi bomb vicitims, Joanne exemplifies the epitome of giving of herself.
Though some descriptions of her adventures felt embellished and colored over, especially in her third world postings, I found it a good read, particularly for any expat looking for a relatable description of this lifestyle.
-Laura Wilson

Nothing made me happier than when Joanne Grady Huskey succeeded in publishing her extraordinary story and experiences as the wife of an American diplomat in China, India and Kenya. "The Unofficial Diplomat: A Memoir" (New Academia Publishing) released in late 2009 was truly twenty years in the making.

I met Joanne when we were both posted in Beijing, China in the early 1990s. But I arrived a year after that country's political turning point of 1989 and the crackdown in Tiananmen Square. Joanne, however, was right in the thick of it and writes superbly about the events people only saw from CNN. She offers perspective literally from the ground level. I also was fortunate to carry on some of her work with the Beijing International Volunteers, which she created to assist with disabled Chinese orphans (many of whom had the sole disability of being girl-babies.) The first time I saw the youngsters performing in wheel chairs was extraordinarily moving, and it was all due to Joanne's fine work (her own background is in dancing) and committment to them.

From China, Joanne and her family moved to India (where she started a cross-cultural business and what eventually became the American School of Chennai where coincidentally, I lectured in 2008!) and to Kenya, where she once again got caught up in political events when the American Embassy in Nairobi was bombed. As a writer (and not Joanne's stalker!) I would say these kinds of circumstances lead to great reportage but Joanne never exploits her experiences, but rather informs and enlightens the reader of both world events in the larger view, and daily life for a diplomatic spouse in more intimate day-to-day living matters.

Not only does she advance 'the cause' by educating those who think diplomatic and expat wives are just along for the ride as 'expensive luggage' (the designation I used to cheekily write on my landing cards when I was a not-terribly-diplomatic-Canadian foreign service spouse), but she is an extremely intelligent writer who asked a lot of question, and always engaged fully in the culture of her host countries. She tried to be an agent of change, unofficially of course.

This is a page turner. Joanne Grady Huskey is no ordinary expat wife. She is one of those people who try to BE the change they want to see. From starting the now 700 strong American school in Chennai, to raising money to help victims of the Nairobi Embassy bombing in which she too (and her kids) were involved, to learning the language and making friends with the locals everywhere she and her husband have lived, the author is one in a million. She doesn't dabble in amateur dramatics, she takes shows on the road. She does not help a few newcomers to settle in she founds what is now a relocation company with 40 employees. From China to India to Kenya and Taiwan, you won't believe the experiences of this 'normal' diplomatic family. Joanne is a great writer too, who tells her story in a compelling way. Her descriptions of each of the places and people leap off the page. I loved this book and immediately felt I wanted to shake the hand of this amazing woman. If you thought expat wives drank gin fizz and had their nails done all day then think again. If you think expat wives are just 'trailing spouses' and have to sit out their charmed life in golden handcuffs unable to fulfil their career, read this, you will soon realise you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Joanne did. If you want to write your memoir of life abroad this one will show you how it's done.

Release The Book Within

As an aspiring diplomat, I'm always happy to find books and blogs about Foreign Service life, especially when the spouse/family of an FSO is telling the story. They're the ones with the best insight on what life in the Foreign Service is like. I was excited to have stumbled across The Unofficial Diplomat, as the only other FS-esque memoir I own was written by Madeleine Albright. In short, I love a good read about the life of diplomats and their families. Good is the operative word here; when I scanned the user reviews, it became immediately obvious that the only people who had read this or simply knew of the book are friends of the author. One reviewer even mentions how she knows her. That's not to say that it isn't a good read, but I'm definitely reconsidering purchasing it. That kind of review-stacking should give anyone pause.

Joanne Grady Huskey is an embodiment of the Hillary Clinton message that she quotes in her book (included below). Be it in Washington DC, China, India, Kenya or Taiwan, Joanne is a bold example of how all of us can truly get involved in the places in which we live and strive to make a difference as unofficial diplomats.

From being inside the US Embassy with her children in Nairobi when it was bombed, to being on the ground in Beijing during the sad events at Tiananmen Square in 1989, to acting in Bollywood, co-founding a relocation company and an international school in India, volunteering for the Chinese Disabled People's Foundation, being stranded in the Kenyan bush and more, Joanne has seemingly done it all. Which is why her book is so interesting.

On a side note, one of the things that stood out to me in Joanne's memoir was that Joanne, one of the strongest women that I have come across (or read about, as is the case with Joanne) in the expat field, struggled each and every time that she relocated. As someone who has just relocated again, and someone who hears about others' relocations on a daily basis (through ExpatWomen.com), I took comfort in the fact that even the strongest among us are only human, and that relocations (and the associated culture shock, where applicable) are indeed a very real challenge, regardless of how many times you've been sent abroad before. Take heart everyone!

Congratulations on a brilliantly-interesting and very well-written memoir, Joanne.

Quote in Joanne's book:

"In today's world, we need not only the professional diplomats who serve in our foreign services and represent our country to one another. We need the citizen diplomats who realize that there is no escape. We are in this together. We may have profound differences, but I am reminded that as we learn more from science about the human genome, we recognize that we are 99.9 percent the same. As you look at our DNA, you don't see religion or race; you see humanity."

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State.
New Delhi, India, 20 July 2009.

Joanne's book is like digging into a wonderfully satisfying meal, with multiple courses and different tastes to savor -- an entertaining combination of gusto and subtlety. Her unique experiences (both exhilarating and harrowing), her honesty, and her refreshing outlook on cultures and people and the magic of connecting keep the reader totally involved in her life as an artist, adventurer, wife/mother, humanitarian, world traveler and world citizen. This is the story of a smart, strong and sensitive woman who has made a real difference in the world.