Not Always Diplomatic: An Australian Woman’s Journey through international affairs

by Sue Boyd

Not Always Diplomatic chronicles the life of a pioneer in international diplomacy and a career that has spanned the globe. Sue Boyd has been the head of Australian diplomatic missions in Fiji, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Bangladesh. She also had postings at the United Nations in New York and in the former East Germany. Sue Boyd has a story to tell from almost everywhere.
She shares this account of her life from her formative years in India, Germany, Ireland, Egypt, Cyprus and Britain through to her years at The University of Western Australia, where she was the first woman to become president of the student guild, beating, among others, Kim Beazley. She then explores her life as a high-flying official firmly ensconced in the ever-changing diplomatic landscape of the 80's and 90's.
From politics to travel to art, world leaders and everything in between, Sue's remarkable stories make this a must read.

Genres: Nonfiction, Australia

Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2020

Reviews

[kira]

i found this really interesting and an easy read. i would, however, like to have a word with the copy-editor. they shoud've hired me i never would have done sue this dirty

[Peter Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Always Diplomatic, is not only an interesting read, it will also give the reader a strong insight into the fascinating character of Sue Boyd, and a greater understanding of the politics of Australia's international relations.

I have met Sue Boyd on a number of occasions, and i have found her to be exactly as she describes herself in this autobiography: interesting, compassionate, whole hearted, cheeky and compelling to listen to when she has something to say.

If someone was to read this they will not only be taken on the journey of Sue's life they will also be taken on a ride through some of the most important changes to take place within Australia's international relations, and key global events.

Having the opportunity to sit in the front row with a key Australian foreign affairs diplomat as she takes you through the governmental decision making as well as the personal requirements to manage and implement long term policy is a rare opportunity. One that i recommend anyone who has an interest in global politics from a local viewpoint should take their time to understand and relish.
I was excited when it was announced that Sue had written this book, and i am glad that the book was a true reflection of Sue's personality.
As a quick disclaimer, i would like to note that i was originally meant to be a history major when i graduated from university, but instead became an International Relations major after Sue gave a talk at the university through invitation from the student guild. I have never regretted the decision, and i am still just as fascinated with International Relations as when Sue astutely and systematically contextualised international relations and the importance of it in a globalized world that is fascinatingly complex.

Take your time reading this book, just because the author and her interesting life are worthy of the appreciation, and a great read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and easy to read. Will keep in mind her three lessons:

1) What's going on xx?
2) Why should Canada care?
3) What are we going do about it?

[John Burbidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. Sue Boyd brings her peripatetic life into focus, displaying her well-honed skills as student leader, Australian ambassador, board member and business adviser, to name a few. While the book reads sequentially from her childhood to the present, it avoids the all-too-frequent problem of some autobiographies of plodding from one event to the next. Her lively and engaging writing style, peppered with an abundant supply of jokes and stories some would only dare tell after a few drinks, carries the reader along with her. Boyd had me riveted and spinning off into different worlds in which I became ensconced.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling throughout, if not slightly confusing with the dates and timelines.
Sue is a really cool woman and her strength and character is very apparent through the stories she tells. It would have been to nice to also include greater meta-reflection on the department and public service over time/the role of women in these organisations.

[Mark Latchford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sue Boyds stories were worth telling. Not only the stories from her successful diplomatic career but also her interesting family history as well as her nomadic childhood as a military child then her university activist days.
The problem lies with the way the stories are narrated. Kim Beazley in his introduction alluded to the author's writing as being much like her briefs for bureaucratic superiors, over the years. In many cases, the reader does not feel any emotional connection with the people or places written about. Much content but you don't feel drawn in very deeply, yet the locations she was deployed as a diplomat and the leaders she crossed paths with, should be fascinating.
It also not clear what Boyd is trying to say. In two areas, she delivers abrupt segues: one on discrimination and the other on how she got ahead in her career. The first is delivered right at the start of the book and the second toward the end. These really derail the cadence of the read and the messages within should have been included within the flow of the overall book.
(After buying but before reading the book, I saw the letter of retraction and apology the author had to publish about a colleague cited in the book. This certainly left me thinking how much more of Boyds adventures were not as accurate as written).
We need to more Australian diplomats reflecting on their career, experience and the times but this book is not up to the level of, say, a Henderson or a Renouf.

[John Kidman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a trail blazer woman. A very successful read for my Biography Book Group.

[Rebecca Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impassive