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.
Naturally, I couldn't resist sending off a few questions to Joanne by e-mail so she could give readers of ExpatExpert a bit more insight into how the book came about:
EE: Joanne, you've talked about writing this book for years! What finally made you sit down and just do it?JGH: The fifteenth anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi, and the twentieth anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square in China came within less than a year. Commemorating these two major historical events was finally the impetus for getting my book out. I felt that the Chinese government had all but succeeded in sweeping the truth of Tiananmen under the rug, and many young people in China and elsewhere had no idea what happened there. I felt it was important to yet again tell the story of what happened in June 1989 in China, so people will know the truth. Equally important was the story of the Embassy bombing in Kenya. For many Americans, Africa is far away and the bombing of the US Embassy there hardly registered. I believe it was a critical turning point in the efforts of Al Queda to terrorize Americans, and again, I wanted the truth of the event to be known. Beyond that, it was the encouragement of my friends, you included, Robin, that pushed me to finally complete the book.
EE: Of so many highlights of your career as an unofficial diplomat, can you name your absolute favourite (or most satisfying) moment?JGH: There have been many satisfying moments -- seeing my business in India grow, seeing the children in the American School in India happily studying, but perhaps one of the most satisfying moments was seeing Theresa Karanja, a Kenyan victim of the Embassy bombing, whose rehabilitation I had funded, come back after many months of rehabilitation in South Africa. When she left Kenya she had given up on life, when she returned, she beamed with hope and determination. It was a moment of healing for her and for me, Kenyan and American, both victims of that atrocity joined together to prove that the terrorists would not succeed.
EE: Do you think other 'unofficial diplomats' get the credit they deserve? If yes, by who?? If no, why not?JGH: Absolutely not! So many people do amazing things that make this earth a better place and never get any recognition or credit for what they do. The supporting family members of diplomats, business people, journalists, and others living overseas often are never applauded for all that they do. I wrote this book partly to make a statement that the "unofficial diplomats" often do as much, or more, than the "official" ones to promote international understanding and peace. I hope that message comes across in the book, loud and clear.
Yes, Joanne, it does come through loud and clear! The book can be ordered through amazon.com
at this link.
Labels: book reviews and interviews
