Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds - Softcover

Because Third Culture Kids have been exposed to other cultures in significant ways and have experienced multiple transitions while growing up, it's in their DNA to thrive within the pace and nature of globalization. This book is a must to understand the challenges TCKs face and the unique skills they can leverage as global leaders. -- Katrina Burris, Ph.D., CEO of MKB Conseil & Coaching and author of Global Nomadic Leaders: How to Identify, Attract, and Retain I called the first edition of Third Culture Kids 'absolutely brilliant'. This revised edition continues to earn that acclaim. It's a powerhouse of a book through which readers growing up 'among worlds'--and their parents and the professionals responsible for their care and teaching--become able to take leadership of the challenges and opportunities presented by such a rick and complex childhood. -- Barbara F. Schaetti, Ph.D., Transition Dynamics, second generation dual national Adult TCK and lead author of Making a World of Difference As an adult TCK, I have long wrestled with how I fit into this world. This book is the 'bible' for anyone who wants to understand the blessings and the curses of growing up multiculturally. -- Wm. Paul Young, author of the #1 New York Times Best Seller The Shack Growing up as a TCK has been a gift and has significantly shaped my life and work. As I interact with world leaders one day and with those living in refugee camps the next, I continually draw upon my experience of living among different cultures. I am delighted to see the lessons learned from the traditional TCK experience live on in this new edition of 'Third Culture Kids'. -- Scott Gration, Maj. Gen. USAF (RET), President Obama's Special Envoy to Sudan

For more than a decade, Third Culture Kids has been the authority on "TCKs" - children of expatriates, missionaries, military personnel and others who live and work abroad. With a significant part of their developmental years spent outside of their passport country, TCKs create their own, unique "third" cultures. Authors Pollock and Van Reken pioneered the TCK profile, which brought to light the emotional and psychological realities that come with the TCK journey, often resulting in feelings of rootlessness and grief but also an increased confidence and ability to interact with many cultures. Through interviews and personal writings, this new, expanded edition explores the challenges and benefits that TCKs encounter, and also widens the net to discuss the experiences of CCKs, cross-cultural kids, who are immigrants, international adoptees or the children of biracial or bicultural parents. Highlighting dramatic changes brought about by instant communication and ever-evolving mobility patterns, Third Culture Kids reveals the hidden diversity in our world and challenges traditional notions of identity and "home" - and shows us how the TCK experience is becoming increasingly common and valuable.