<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p>Dilettante: Tales of How a Small-Town Boy Became a Diplomat Managing U.S. Foreign Assistance</p><p>By: Clifford H. Brown</p><p><br></p><p>This book is a memoir of a small-town American kid who worked on farms, tugboats, railroads, ran away to sea for a year on an oceanographic vessel, finally finished college, won a fellowship to travel in Latin America for a year, went to law school, became a partner in a Beverly Hills law firm, and then gave up a lucrative career to join the U.S. Agency for International Development ("USAID"). It is filled with American country and laborer philosophy, served with a healthy dose of juvenility and plain old fun. It will interest anyone thinking life in small-town America has become a dead end. Readers may be keen to read the second half of the stories, as and when they become available.</p><p><br></p><p>About the Author</p><p><br></p><p>Clifford H. Brown is a lawyer and former member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. He served with USAID in eleven countries over a career of 27 years. He also is a former partner of the law firm of Ervin, Cohen & Jessup, an accomplished musician and professionally fluent in Spanish, Russian and French. He was one of the founders of <em>My Friends Place</em>, the first licensed shelter for homeless teenagers in Southeastern Washington State.</p>