Attaché Case: Backstage at the Embassy

by Todd Pierce, Wyatt Doyle (editor)

"The Kitchen Confidential of the State Department."



You've seen them on the news, looking competent and concerned in their navy suits. They're in Beijing, Riyadh, Nairobi, Geneva, and of course Washington, DC. They look uneasy on camera. When they speak (which is as little as possible), it's with caution, hemmed in by protocol and the fear of causing an incident.

These are the diplomats.



Opening up a famously tight-lipped profession, State Department veteran Todd Pierce takes you backstage at the embassy, sharing what it's like to serve as a working-level diplomat.

Funny, revealing, pointed, and deeply human, Attaché Case tells what it feels like to represent the celebrity country-the US-a place everyone thinks they know and has an opinion about.

Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2024

Reviews

[Robin]

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. The author's ability to weave between personal and professional anecdotes and history was effective and seamless. I learned a great deal about the inter-workings of the State Dept. and appreciated the juicy behind the scenes anecdotes. But there were also deeply meaningful relationships that the author developed in the many countries he lived in during a fascinating career. The book at times made me laugh out loud and other times made me deeply reflect on America's role and influence in the world.

[John M.]

Todd Pierce's Attache Case is a rollicking joy. Filled with devilish allusions and amazing personal stories, it is the book to read if you want to know what diplomats do and how they live. Especially if you want to smile a lot and occasionally burst out laughing. I was the author's slightly older colleague in the Foreign Service - we served in Greece together for some time - and I can vouch for the veracity of what he says about the Service, embassies, and diplomacy. Over the years I have read way too many books that paint diplomacy as heroic and complex; dry, didactic exercises in self promotion. Attache case is the polar opposite. Policy is present, but the characters stand out as more interesting, and the dialogue is utterly believable. This is a book you won't want to put it down. And Todd, the author, is the star of this show, as he should be. He is the perfect guide to the world he lived in, from childhood to retirement. The ideal, opinionated, chatty travel companion. I hope this won't be his last book.

[Chrissann Nickel]

This was given to me by a friend (thanks, Rachel!) who knows the author, otherwise it likely would not have crossed my path (though I’m glad it did).

This book is like a salacious gossip session with a former diplomat. I openly cackled many times, and found a lot of the details fascinating about a job I’ve never really known much about until now.

If you enjoyed The Diplomat on Netflix, this is a fun companion read.