Citizenship | Literature
Select novels, short stories, and nonfiction on contemporary life.
Ben East’s nonfiction debut recounts how JFK’s bold experiment shaped diplomatic careers and influenced modern American diplomacy.
Read, Listen, Watch
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Peace Corps Nepal in the 1960s could feel slow. Adapting to the boredom turned out to be good preparation for enduring 444 days of tedium as a hostage in Iran
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Four of the 52 Americans held hostage in Tehran for 444 days had served as Peace Corps Volunteers: Victor Tomseth, John Limbert, Michael Metrinko, and Barry Rosen
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No communist country had hosted a Peace Corps program until Peter Tomsen negotiated a role for Volunteers in China, an objective that would take over a decade to fulfill
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Peter Tomsen cut a path from the Peace Corps to an ambassadorship through jungle warfare in Vietnam, negotiating Peace Corps into China, and serving as Special Envoy to Afghanistan after Soviet withdrawal.
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An author and former diplomat contemplates familiar Washington haunts, including the Kennedy Center, after his last act in service: cancelling his passport
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Not your typical Peace Corps-to-Foreign Service path, this rendering of an ambassador’s tale twists amid my own fascination with the era’s social influences.
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Sketch profiling Ambassador Franklin Pierce “Pancho” Huddle, Jr. from a forthcoming nonfiction boook of profiles that explore Peace Corps roots in American diplomacy.
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Navratri celebrates the victory of good over evil. The Hindu goddess Durga defeats the demon Mahishasura during nine nights of epic war. Diwali begins 20 days later.
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Telephone service disruption is a nuisance, but customers who experience unauthorized changes can file an FCC Slam Report and hold their provider accountable.
Ben East Books 