Books, Themes
Book on Theme 1
The Yellow Star That Wasn't
Set against the backdrop of Jewish history in Scandinavia during WWII, this 70,000-word historical memoir blends war-time facts from Scandinavia with personal anecdotes about my growing awakening to the existence of a Jewish people. Readers get important historical facts (for instance, that Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway on the same day while Finland and Sweden were left alone) without mind-numbing information in a way that the previous literature about the years 1940-1945 has not done.
The non-fiction book (Amazon bestseller in four history categories) is especially appealing to those not familiar with the targeted geographic area, with much of the material generated by the interest expressed during my ongoing speaking engagements. Stories make history come alive.
Review of Books - C Hofstadter
At least one professor doesn’t think the Holocaust years should be taught just as history, because then it's easy to say, “It happened then, it happened there, it has no relevance here.” He claims that connecting the topic with everyday people is essential. My personal reflections let readers see how history and culture continue to affect the way we still view human relations.
Check your bookstore for paperback ISBN: 9780988216921, or download the e-book on your KINDLE or NOOK.
Books on Theme 2
The Foreign Consuls Among Us
The 2d ed of The Foreign Consuls Among Us is sub-headed Local Bridges to Globalism to convey the image of a two-way street on which local civic, business, and educational leaders may best engage with foreign consuls through the kind of micro-level diplomacy suggested in the text. The digital format has three added chapters: the consular role in the areas of education and travel, and “the Business of America” seen through the lens of the U.S. as the receiving state and any other nation as the sending state. Furthermore, this Amazon Bestseller (in digital format) is written in easy-to-understand language.
Check your bookstore for the hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9882169-1-4, or download the expanded e-book on your KINDLE or NOOK.
Review of Books - C Hofstadter
The series consists of the 1st ed, sub-titled A Guide to Citizen Diplomacy (2013), the 2d ed, sub-titled Local Bridges to Globalism (2015); and the digital edition (2018). Best described as a guide to the consular institution, the series appeals to the following groups and individuals:
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All communities where there are career or honorary consuls
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Corporate executives and commercial interest groups with a global outlook
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Colleges and universities with an international dimension
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Organizations and individuals seeking the benefits of a consular network
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Career and honorary consuls with a stake in being recognized for their official position
Modern Consuls, Local Communities and Globalization
Regardless of the publication format readers prefer, the content is drawn from my research on consular and diplomatic law that started when I was a law student at the University of Helsinki, and which I continued throughout my further studies and career in Europe and the US. This then led to a contract for an imprint with the worldwide academic publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, which states the following:
"[this book] offers a tool in international relations conducted separately from the activities of ambassadors and other diplomats at the highest level of diplomacy at embassies in capital cities. In communities around the world, foreign consuls provide a local link to the modern arena of global activities. To be credible players in the international community, educational, civic and business leaders have to understand the role and nature of a variety of named consuls .... [such as] head of post, and trade commissioner... [it] also presents the international rules of consular diplomacy… for areas with an active consular corps."
The Modern Consuls, Local Communities and Globalization (ISBN: 978-3-030-42801-3) targets readers who may not have the same need for the practical aspects of The Foreign Consuls Among Us (above).