booksRobin Pascoe introduced me to Joanne Grady Huskey a few weeks before Christmas to tell me about her recently published memoir, An Unofficial Diplomat. Immediately I started to correspond with Joanne and it was not long before her book was in my hand. I have just had the pleasure of reading it.
Many of my clients are expats, like Joanne, and want to write their life stories. As their mentor it is my duty to read anything that is in this genre. Well, I have to recommend this as an example of a life story that is honest, filled with action and incident and an absolute page turner.
Joanne Grady Huskey may be the wife of a diplomat but she 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, Global Adjustments. 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 to create a page turner.
