"The title "Ambassador" conjures up images of a gentleman with a chauffeur-driven limousine, flanked at plush cocktail parties by his perfect wife, who normally handles state dinners, tea parties, and flower arrangements. Sephocle shows how this picture changes completely when the ambassador happens to be a woman, and how the role of the spouse of the ambassador changes as a result.

Then, They Were Twelve is a historical account of the Washington diplomatic scene of the late 1990s, when the number of women ambassadors reached the double digits for the first time.".

"Sephocle provides a series of candid and stimulating conversations with the women ambassadors about their lives and the struggle for the advancement of women in their countries. These women of state from various corners of the globe demonstrate a unique approach to diplomacy. This book will be of great interest to scholars, researchers, students, and the concerned reader involved with diplomacy and women's studies."--BOOK JACKET.