Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-14 09:54:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David C. Pollock
- ISBN：1473657660
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this 3rd edition of the ground-breaking， global classic， Ruth E。 Van Reken and Michael V。 Pollock， son of the late original co-author， David C。 Pollock have significantly updated what is widely recognized as The TCK Bible。 Emphasis is on the modern TCK and addressing the impact of technology， cultural complexity， diversity & inclusion and transitions。 Includes new advice for parents and others for how to support TCKs as they navigate work， relationships， social settings and their own personal development。 Specific updates:
· A second PolVan Cultural Identity diagram to support understanding of cultural identity
· New models for identity formation
· Updated explanation of unresolved grief
· New material on 'highly mobile communities' addressing the needs of people who stay put while a community around them moves rapidly
· Revamped Section III so readers can more easily find what is relevant to them as Adult TCKs， parents， counselors， employers， spouses， administrators， etc。
· New stages and needs tool that will help families and organizations identify and meet needs
Greater emphasis on tools for educators as they grapple with demographic shifts in the classroom
· A second PolVan Cultural Identity diagram to support understanding of cultural identity
· New models for identity formation
· Updated explanation of unresolved grief
· New material on 'highly mobile communities' addressing the needs of people who stay put while a community around them moves rapidly
· Revamped Section III so readers can more easily find what is relevant to them as Adult TCKs， parents， counselors， employers， spouses， administrators， etc。
· New stages and needs tool that will help families and organizations identify and meet needs
Greater emphasis on tools for educators as they grapple with demographic shifts in the classroom
Reviews
Nikki
，
Read very much like a textbook and not everything applied to me so I felt like I was slogging along。 Some good insights to the TCK experience and made me realize that feelings of loneliness and identity crisis are universal when you thrust （unexpected） change into a child's life。 Read very much like a textbook and not everything applied to me so I felt like I was slogging along。 Some good insights to the TCK experience and made me realize that feelings of loneliness and identity crisis are universal when you thrust （unexpected） change into a child's life。 。。。more
Jacob
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This book provided good insight to the experience of TCKs。 I had several moments while reading where I felt I began to understand some of the different experiences I had as a TCK and the difficulties of the transition back to my home country。 This book was written about 20 years ago， it would be interesting to read updated information regarding the topic。 Some dry parts， but I definitely developed a greater understanding of moments in my life that I didn't before。 This book provided good insight to the experience of TCKs。 I had several moments while reading where I felt I began to understand some of the different experiences I had as a TCK and the difficulties of the transition back to my home country。 This book was written about 20 years ago， it would be interesting to read updated information regarding the topic。 Some dry parts， but I definitely developed a greater understanding of moments in my life that I didn't before。 。。。more
Mary Ann
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Very insightful book about Third Culture Kids。I liked how the author started the book by giving a thorough definition of what TCKs are， or at least how they will define it in the context of this book， so the readers can have a clear picture of what the text is referring to as we read。 It's very informative but easy to read， with lots of examples and stories from real-life TCKs， which added a lot to this book， since I felt like I'm not just reading about plain theory but about real flesh and bloo Very insightful book about Third Culture Kids。I liked how the author started the book by giving a thorough definition of what TCKs are， or at least how they will define it in the context of this book， so the readers can have a clear picture of what the text is referring to as we read。 It's very informative but easy to read， with lots of examples and stories from real-life TCKs， which added a lot to this book， since I felt like I'm not just reading about plain theory but about real flesh and blood。 Being a third culture kid myself， this book really made me think about my own life and reflect upon how these mobile and cross-cultural experiences of mine may have influenced my actions or decisions today。 Of course， I couldn't relate to all of them， but the author made it clear that TCKs are an extremely diverse group and there is not one model that fits every TCK， but reading about our similarities or tendencies， helped me grasp the bigger picture and gave me a better idea of what other TCKs are like。 I also really appreciate the numerous practical tips provided in this book on how to deal with grief and transitions and bitterness。。。etc。My few issues with this book are that some of the writing became a bit repetitive for me（ex。 multiple disclaimers along the lines of:"while there are no foolproof way to。。。。 but we think。。。"）， and I wish there was a bit more explanation regarding how TCKs might actually have more prejudice（Ch。6， p。99）， but sadly this section only got less than a page。But overall， still a very worthwhile read。*My favorite quote， talking about reentry:"Relatives and old friends welcome the TCKs warmly， while the school bends over backward in its efforts to assess how transcripts from some exotic foreign school relate to the local curriculum。"（Ch。16， p。247）。~I laughed so hard while reading this part。 I felt like this was exactly how my poor high school felt when I transferred from an international school in Southeast Asia to a local school in Taiwan in my junior year （oh， the transcripts XD） 。。。more
Anna Sangrey Russell
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Excellent window into the third culture kid experience。 Great information。 Great anecdotes。 Comprehensive。
Abdo Habbani
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As a TCK， I finally had a understanding of what was happening with me。 The book is comprehensive and it addresses the topic from different angles。 I benefited greatly from the psychological dimension of the book and it taught me about my unresolved grief and how to deal with it。
Derek
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Talks about the effect that living in-between cultures has on someone。While I feel like I better understand the struggles， I don't have any answers for what to do about it。 Talks about the effect that living in-between cultures has on someone。While I feel like I better understand the struggles， I don't have any answers for what to do about it。 。。。more
Meriem Akin
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I am raising two children in a multi-racial/cultural home， away from the "home"s。 I， myself， was born and raised in a very homogeneous non-diverse family and country。 I needed to read this book to understand what my children would feel and go through。 The book does not have all the answers but brings very good examples and discussions。 I am raising two children in a multi-racial/cultural home， away from the "home"s。 I， myself， was born and raised in a very homogeneous non-diverse family and country。 I needed to read this book to understand what my children would feel and go through。 The book does not have all the answers but brings very good examples and discussions。 。。。more
Elsbeth Kwant
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The concept is very interesting: what happens to children who live in different cultures during their formative years？ With the richness of the experience counterbalance by the restlessness of not belonging。 But I was very much put off by the use of acronyms （TCK's - third culture kids）， with all sorts of spin-offs。 A bit like talking of HSP for highly sensitive persons or in Dutch HB for Hoogbegaafd。 These things deserve non-exclusive language。 The concept is very interesting: what happens to children who live in different cultures during their formative years？ With the richness of the experience counterbalance by the restlessness of not belonging。 But I was very much put off by the use of acronyms （TCK's - third culture kids）， with all sorts of spin-offs。 A bit like talking of HSP for highly sensitive persons or in Dutch HB for Hoogbegaafd。 These things deserve non-exclusive language。 。。。more
Sleepless Dreamer
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Fellow ATCKs， where are you？ With detailed and straightforward prose， this book describes third culture kids （TCK） and cross culture kids （CCK）， especially focusing on the adulthood of such kids。 TCK refers to children who spend part of their childhoods in a different country。 CCK is an umbrella term that includes both TCKs and kids who grow up with different cultures （biracial， adopted， refugees， etc）。 Using many real life stories， it explains various traits of ATCKs。 Such traits include being Fellow ATCKs， where are you？ With detailed and straightforward prose， this book describes third culture kids （TCK） and cross culture kids （CCK）， especially focusing on the adulthood of such kids。 TCK refers to children who spend part of their childhoods in a different country。 CCK is an umbrella term that includes both TCKs and kids who grow up with different cultures （biracial， adopted， refugees， etc）。 Using many real life stories， it explains various traits of ATCKs。 Such traits include being "cultural chameleons"， a flexible and complicated definition of home， difficulty saying goodbye， interest in different cultures， cultural adaptivity， and arrogance。 It does a great job at portraying the advantages and disadvantages of growing up in different cultures。 I didn't know there's a word for this， that this is a thing。 I've always felt like my life story isn't that cool， comparatively。 My parents weren't diplomats or missionaries， I didn't grow up in 9 different countries either。 I was just a kid with two homes and yet， I felt called out while reading this。 It's easy to cling to terms and expect them to describe all of you but truly， there were certain moments here where parts of my life clicked together。 It's very cool to understand that this is a community， a group of people with a shared experience。 This detailed look was very interesting。 However， this book is a little too long and repetitive。 It felt like it could have been edited more。 I also felt like some parts were less relevant to me， like the part on how to raise TCKs。 I'm pretty sure reading the Wikipedia article would provide much of the information presented in this book。That said， seeing all of the personal stories was a highlight。 It's very neat to imagine that this identity could be shared by people with so much diversity between them。 Merely the experience of living in a different country than your home country as a child can connect between us。 There are moments that I definitely recognized。 For example， when I visited the US last time， I was struck by how it did not feel like I remembered it。 In many ways， I've stopped seeing myself as an American。 I have the citizenship and maybe the accent but my identity shifted。 At the same time， there are many many moments where I feel I'm not quite Israeli， when my foreign childhood becomes painfully clear （ugh， stop talking about childhood tv shows， Israelis）。 To conclude， if you also grew up in between cultures， this is a very neat book。 I'm so curious to learn more about the experience of others who grew up this way。 This book is a great way to understand more of this identity， even if I feel like my life story isn't that cool。 What I'm Taking With Me- Instead of studying， I just learned about the term "existential migration" and I'm excited， who needs economic theory， I wanna know why some people feel attracted to being a foreigner - I realized that I don't see myself as an immigrant but I do see myself as someone who experienced immigration twice。 - My parents didn't do anything that was advised but we grew up fine， I think？ -----------------------Whoaaa， there's a word for it！ Thinking about myself as a TCK makes me feel like 100% cooler。 Review to come， if I ever survive my two very stressful exams this week。 。。。more
Mandy
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I appreciated the concept of “third culture kids” because I am one and my kids are them。 Basically it means kids who spend time growing up in a culture that neither of their parents belong to。 I lived in India for three years as a kid and now my kids have spent most of their lives outside the US - in Luxembourg and Kenya。 This book talks about what makes this experience unique and the different benefits and challenges。 That said， this book felt WAY too long。 Lots of repeating the same thoughts o I appreciated the concept of “third culture kids” because I am one and my kids are them。 Basically it means kids who spend time growing up in a culture that neither of their parents belong to。 I lived in India for three years as a kid and now my kids have spent most of their lives outside the US - in Luxembourg and Kenya。 This book talks about what makes this experience unique and the different benefits and challenges。 That said， this book felt WAY too long。 Lots of repeating the same thoughts over and over。 I think it would be much improved by condensing it into a 10-page guide。 。。。more
Bethany Joy
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Lots of great concepts and food for thought。 Even helpful in understanding the impact of the pandemic on our lives。 Unfortunately the audiobook had a very full narrator and the book also is overly repetitive。 I would still recommend it to anyone with relevant life situation or those like me who are curious about these experiences。
Sarah
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This book is definitely triggering。 It may not hold the solutions to life as a TCK but it does give you the words to explain the confusing emotions of a TCK that no-one seems to understand。
Charles Carter
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Ooof！ This was an exploration of my soul - and it was not pleasant。 It was not pleasant because of the difficulty of the topic explored， but it was also not too pleasant because the writing was not very appealing。 This book was a gift from my parents， probably as an apology （both the sorry sort and the defense kind） for this sort of upbringing （lol）。 It was informative and interesting， but the reason I appreciate it most is because of who gave it to me。 However unless I wanted to "know thyself" Ooof！ This was an exploration of my soul - and it was not pleasant。 It was not pleasant because of the difficulty of the topic explored， but it was also not too pleasant because the writing was not very appealing。 This book was a gift from my parents， probably as an apology （both the sorry sort and the defense kind） for this sort of upbringing （lol）。 It was informative and interesting， but the reason I appreciate it most is because of who gave it to me。 However unless I wanted to "know thyself" I wouldn't really study this too much， bury your head in the sand approach seems more fitting when the topic （the worlds of the self） are so complex！ （I'll probably regret this belligerent naivete later。） 。。。more
Sanjukta
，
TCKs - an insight into how kids develop when growing up outside their "passport countries。" The tensions that exist between the challenges and the opportunities， the rootlessness and the confidence。 "Where is home？" TCKs - an insight into how kids develop when growing up outside their "passport countries。" The tensions that exist between the challenges and the opportunities， the rootlessness and the confidence。 "Where is home？" 。。。more
Rachel
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This book would be great for anyone who has （a） never heard of the Third Culture concept AND （b） really needs to know about it in a lot of detail。 For example someone just starting out as a teacher at an international school。 If this book is intended to be read from cover to cover， I think the word count could easily be cut by at least 25% without losing anything。 I also wish the part about HOW to help kids navigate this lifestyle was longer （。。。but I feel like I say that a lot: what good does i This book would be great for anyone who has （a） never heard of the Third Culture concept AND （b） really needs to know about it in a lot of detail。 For example someone just starting out as a teacher at an international school。 If this book is intended to be read from cover to cover， I think the word count could easily be cut by at least 25% without losing anything。 I also wish the part about HOW to help kids navigate this lifestyle was longer （。。。but I feel like I say that a lot: what good does it do me to understand my children- just tell me what to DO about it！😉） 。。。more
Kristina Carter
，
Although I felt it was a bit wordy/lengthy at times， Third Culture Kids provided some great insights and practical applications for helping children thrive growing up outside their home culture。
Sonja | Books + Buns
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Wow。。。As an ATCK who grew up between California and Finland， I can relate to so much of what’s written on these pages。 I hadn’t heard of the term TCK before 2017， and realizing that such a concept even exists brought me so much comfort。 Reading through this has helped me work through so many questions relating to my identity and I’ve began to understand myself and my actions a lot better。 This book definitely opened a window for me！I’m deducting one star because this was really slow at times。 Th Wow。。。As an ATCK who grew up between California and Finland， I can relate to so much of what’s written on these pages。 I hadn’t heard of the term TCK before 2017， and realizing that such a concept even exists brought me so much comfort。 Reading through this has helped me work through so many questions relating to my identity and I’ve began to understand myself and my actions a lot better。 This book definitely opened a window for me！I’m deducting one star because this was really slow at times。 The text is often just downright boring， with the excerpts from other TCKs being the best part。 But I understand that talking about theory isn’t always exciting。 。。。more
Megan Smith
，
I have skimmed this book before this year but I finally sat down and gave it a good read this year。 It is often referred to as the "bible" of TCK care and is a very thorough book。 I love the practical stories that they have of the different TCKs that they have encountered as well as the research that has been done。 I think this newer edition is worth reading if you have only read the older one。 The updates are excellent。 I did find this book to be much too long though to find myself recommending I have skimmed this book before this year but I finally sat down and gave it a good read this year。 It is often referred to as the "bible" of TCK care and is a very thorough book。 I love the practical stories that they have of the different TCKs that they have encountered as well as the research that has been done。 I think this newer edition is worth reading if you have only read the older one。 The updates are excellent。 I did find this book to be much too long though to find myself recommending to families on the field， it is quite a reading commitment。 。。。more
Monique Moermond
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Interesting concepts， but horribly written。 Don't bother reading the second half Interesting concepts， but horribly written。 Don't bother reading the second half 。。。more
Chris Risley
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Now a secular book - good info， just wish it had more of a biblical perspective
Luv
，
Several people recommended I read this book。 So I did。
Hannah
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I found this and incredibly tedious read， and was honestly pretty bored throughout， which， as someone who has lived in four countries and is raising mixed-race children outside of our passport country， is a shame， because I really wanted to like it。 The authors seem to obsessed with fixing labels to people and their experiences， creating diagrams and charts that state the bloody obvious， describing them in such enthusiastic terms that you would think they’ve found the meaning of life。 It’s acade I found this and incredibly tedious read， and was honestly pretty bored throughout， which， as someone who has lived in four countries and is raising mixed-race children outside of our passport country， is a shame， because I really wanted to like it。 The authors seem to obsessed with fixing labels to people and their experiences， creating diagrams and charts that state the bloody obvious， describing them in such enthusiastic terms that you would think they’ve found the meaning of life。 It’s academic study for the sake of it。 I also found it pretty negative， talking a lot about all the losses you experience as a TCK while glossing over the gains。Unfortunately， the book can be summed up by a quote from Dave Pollock “I’m likely not going to tell you something you don’t know， but you just don’t know that you know it yet”。 Otherwise known as writing a really long book about not very much at all。 If， by some miracle， you still want to read it， focus on the section on the transition experience itself， where there was some useful info （the only reason the book earned 1 star） 。。。more
Candy Dalton
，
So so good！ Helps me understand my kids and kids like them so much。
Barbara Stryker
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I wish I had this book in my hands when at 17 I arrived for college in the USA。 After living in 6 countries and never in the county of either of my passports （American dad and Scottish Mother） it would have been a God send to me！ It is a MUST read for any person who grew up outside their passport country wether as a missionary kid， military or Foreign Service kid。 Should be required reading before tee embarking on a life of global mobility。 I highly recommend anyone thinking about a mobile lifes I wish I had this book in my hands when at 17 I arrived for college in the USA。 After living in 6 countries and never in the county of either of my passports （American dad and Scottish Mother） it would have been a God send to me！ It is a MUST read for any person who grew up outside their passport country wether as a missionary kid， military or Foreign Service kid。 Should be required reading before tee embarking on a life of global mobility。 I highly recommend anyone thinking about a mobile lifestyle read this to better prepare themselves and their families （or future families）。 Thank you thank you to these authors。 Such a treasure。 。。。more
Stevie Smith
，
As a third culture missionary kid， this one really resonated with me。 Once a TCK， always a TCK。 One's worldview is forever locked into a bardo of sorts -- no place ever feels like Home， and even the country of one's raising is gone forever after many decades。 Couldn't return to visit even if I wanted to -- my high school was wiped out in a volcanic eruption long ago。 But， this is a great book that I've recommended to many others who grew up "among worlds。" As a third culture missionary kid， this one really resonated with me。 Once a TCK， always a TCK。 One's worldview is forever locked into a bardo of sorts -- no place ever feels like Home， and even the country of one's raising is gone forever after many decades。 Couldn't return to visit even if I wanted to -- my high school was wiped out in a volcanic eruption long ago。 But， this is a great book that I've recommended to many others who grew up "among worlds。" 。。。more
Vera Pereira
，
This book gave me so much to think about。 I reflected on my own experience and that of the students I met through a clearer lens。 I think that what I learned here will translate to more understanding of my own story and my students’。
Tina
，
This book is an ESSENTIAL reas for understanding Third Culture And Cross Cultural Kids！！
Laura Copa
，
As a parent raising TCK’s at the moment， I appreciated the basic concepts of this book to help me understand what my kids may be going through either now or in the future。 I read the third edition which adds several extra chapters that I didn’t feel applied much to our situation and was quite repetitive， so I skimmed a lot。
Wim
，
Interesting book on the fascinating topic of children growing up between cultures and how to deal with the challenges。 Insightful， but I did not really like the way it was written/structured。
Kate
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