Of Related Interest – American Foreign Service Association

Recent books of interest to the foreign affairs community. Revolutionary Diplomacy: Spanish Connections and the Birth of the United States Thomas E. Chávez, University of Virginia Press, 2025, $29.50/paperback, e-book available, 186 pages. Historian Thomas Chávez spent nine years overseeing the collection, transcription, translation, and publication of all documents pertinent to Benjamin Franklin in Spain’s archives. From these he’s written four books; Revolutionary Diplomacy is his latest. Chavez told the University of Virginia’s Author’s Corner that while many Americans know about France’s contributions to our fight for independence, fewer are aware that Spanish men, matériel, and “diplomatic muscle” also played a critical role. Chávez outlines the successes and failures of the American partnership with Spain during the Revolutionary War. He also introduces readers to Franklin’s fellow envoys Silas Deane, Arthur Lee, John Jay, and Robert Morris, recounting their negotiations with Spain, which helped to expand a mere colonial rebellion into a full-fledged war. Thomas Chávez has a PhD in history from the University of New Mexico. Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins Barbara Demick, Random House, 2025, $32.00/hardcover, e-book available, 352 pages. Already a mother of two, Yuan
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