Nearly a decade ago, Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds introduced the concept of and has been the authority on the experiences of “TCKs”—children who grow up or spend a significant part of their childhood living abroad. Early on, TCKs were identified as the prototype “citizen of the future.” That future is now, as more and more children are growing up among worlds, creating a culturally rich and diverse world.
Rich with real-life anecdotes, Third Culture Kids, Revised Edition examines the nature of the TCK experience and its effect on maturing, developing a sense of identity and adjusting to one’s “passport country” upon return. For many third culture kids, this book will be their first opportunity to discover that they share a common heritage with countless others around the world. This expanded edition profiles the personal challenges that TCKs experience, from feelings of rootlessness and unresolved grief to struggles with maturity and identity. Highlighting dramatic changes brought about by instant communication and new mobility patterns, the new edition shows how the TCK experience is becoming increasingly common and valuable. The authors also expand the coverage to include “cross-cultural kids,” children of biracial or bicultural parents, immigrants and international adoptees—all of this bringing hidden diversity to our world and challenging our old notions of identity and “home”.
Praise for the Revised Edition of Third Culture Kids
“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 rich 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. Personal Leadership: A Methodology of Two Principles and Six Practices
“Because Third Culture Kids have been exposed to other cultures in significant ways and have experienced multiple transitions while growing up, it is 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 Burrus, Ph.D., CEO of MKB Conseil & Coaching and author of Global Nomadic Leaders: How to Identify, Attract, and Retain
“In today’s globalized and highly mobile world, the lessons to be learned from this new edition of Third Culture Kids transcend mere cultural enlightenment about a unique group of individuals growing up between worlds. This book is timelier than ever, and should be essential reading for parents anywhere in the world raising cross-cultural children.”
—Robin Pascoe, author of Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World
“This revised edition of Third Culture Kids opens up the topic of cultural hybridization in new and exciting ways. By recognizing similarities between TCKs, children from bi/multicultural parentage, children of immigrants, those who live on or near borderlands, international adoptees and those forced into geographic and cultural transition through war and/or famine, the author puts her finger on one of the most interesting, complex and potentially most liberating aspects of our increasingly globalizing society. This book opens up hope for dialogue, empathy, mutual learning and ultimately the joyful acceptance of the diversity in us all.”
—Marc Levitt, storyteller, educator, and creator of www.thirdculturestories.com
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction by David C. Pollock
A Beginning Word by Ruth E. Van Reken
Section One-- The Third Culture Kid Experience
1 Where is Home? Erika's Story
2 Who Are "Third Culture Kids"?
3 Why a Cross-Cultural Childhood Matters
4 Why High Mobility Matters
5 Benefits and Challenges
6 Personal Characteristics
7 Practical Skills
8 Rootlessness and Restlessness
9 Relational Patterns
10 Developmental Issues
11 Unresolved Grief
Section Two-- Maximizing the Benefits
12 Building a Strong Foundation
13 Dealing With Transition
14 Meeting Educational Needs
15 Enjoying the Journey
16 Coming "Home": Reentry
17 How Sponsoring Organizations Can Help
18 It's Never Too Late
Appendices
Appendix A Adult Third Culture Kid Survey Results
Appendix B Writings by Adult Third Culture Kids
Resources and Bibliography
About the Authors
Ruth E. Van Reken, herself an adult TCK and a parent and grandparent of TCKs, is author of one of the first books written about the TCK experience, Letters Never Sent. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.
David C. Pollock worked with TCKs and adult TCKs for more than twenty years and logged thousands of miles conducting seminars and conferences for TCKs, their parents, and sponsoring organizations.
