Ben East Books

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.

The figures highlighted here tracked looted antiquities after the invasion of Iraq, re-established diplomacy in Afghanistan after 9/11, and secured village infrastructure while war raged in Vietnam. As hostages in Iran, they maintained diplomatic discipline to bridge a volatile cultural divide. These are individuals of deep courage and conviction, whether integrating a southern U.S. high school or finding comfort in African village beliefs to cope with personal tragedy.

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Novels

Read, Listen, Watch

  • Profile: Victor Tomseth

    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

  • Negotiating the Peace Corps into China

    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

  • Profile: Peter Tomsen

    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.

  • Thoughts on a Departure

    An author and former diplomat contemplates familiar Washington haunts, including the Kennedy Center, after his last act in service: cancelling his passport

  • A Spy of the Egyptian Spies

    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.

  • Profile: Franklin Pierce “Pancho” Huddle, Jr.

    Sketch profiling Ambassador Franklin Pierce “Pancho” Huddle, Jr. from a forthcoming nonfiction boook of profiles that explore Peace Corps roots in American diplomacy.

  • Navratri: Celebrating Good over Evil

    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.

  • Phone Number Abuse Report

    Telephone service disruption is a nuisance, but customers who experience unauthorized changes can file an FCC Slam Report and hold their provider accountable.

  • Profile: Smooth Relationships

    In their gentle manner, the townspeople had gone along with the program but didn’t own it, just another good idea that would resolve itself or fade away. The experience taught Brown Schoonover to be a successful communicator by being a listener.

  • Joe McCarthy & Arthur Miller

    Joe McCarthy led a witch hunt that in turn led to required reading for all U.S. high school students: Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible.

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