Comments on: (Book revision) Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

By: Attachiante

Attachiante — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:36:41 +0000

In fact what I propose is an equivalent book : “Mono-Cultural Kids: On growing up in one place”.

By: Attachiante

Attachiante — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:33:04 +0000

Hello Ruth,

Here are some things I like less about your book.

1) Kids? Why are those of us who have had these experiences forever kids? In addition to the choice of terminology is also a choice of focus. and the focus is on children, on taking care of children, on helping teachers and parents to better help and understand children, which leads on to my next point:

2) Pathologising. The starting-point is that there is a problem, there are people who need help. Great for attracting the type of people who 'need to feel needed' & helping to the field, but not the most helpful epistemological or ontological starting point, in terms of setting out to actually understand a phenomenom? And does it not just reinforce teh tendency to see monocultural provincialism as the norm, and mobility and cross-cultural interaction as deviant?

3) It seems you are primarily talking about missionary kids, and Anglo-American ones at that. A little misleading and a bit of elision then not to be more honest about that?

By: Joy Foursquare

Joy Foursquare — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:27:27 +0000

We lead the Missions department for our denomination (church) in a national level, and I always recommend and give as a gift this books to the ones that are leaving or coming back to the US.
Wonderful material and i had the privilege to attend two workshop's that David had done overseas!!! What a privilege and i found myself as I am also a Third Culture Kid (which i did not know till then)

By: kandi707

kandi707 — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:06:18 +0000

Thank you Barbara for your kind word. I remember a conversation I did have with my mother when I was in my early 40's I think. We were talking about some of the problems I had when we returned “home” and I explained part of what I had gone through, finally able to put it into words. What amazes me now is that I was actually describing much of what I have recently been reading on the subject. I or we just didn't relize there was actually a name for it. And yes it does help so very much to know that I am not alone!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:40:33 +0000

I liked your letter and thoroughly identify with your experience.I am 66 now and learned about TCK about eight years ago when I was invited to attend the “Reunion of Strangers” at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I recall many of cried the whole weekend! What a relief to discover that you are not insane, as people would say, strange, weird or anything else like. There are “lots of others like me!”
I was fortunate to be able to share the book with my mother before she died. Two comments from her: first she said she felt that I was punishing her by asking her to read the book. She got quite defensive. As she continued to read more and think more about it she said that a lot of t he book applied to her also. Every time she moved between the “home” country and the place of service (China and India) she had many of the same experiences. She felt like a fish out of water and very lonely etc.

By: (Winners announced!) Third Culture Kids Charter of Compassion

(Winners announced!) Third Culture Kids Charter of Compassion — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:35:29 +0000

[...] We are happy to announce to you that we have the 3 winners of the books donated by Ruth E. Van Reken’s, NEW REVISED EDITION: Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, Revised Edition by David C. Pollac… [...]

By: kandi707

kandi707 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:02:48 +0000

While I knew a new version was coming out I purchased the prior one not too long ago as I really needed (yes needed) to read it. It was only in June 2009 that I first heard the TCK term. I'm 58 now and it was when I was 10 that I lived overseas! Your book explained so much about my thoughts and feelings and about many of the decisions I have made in the past. How I wish my mother was still alive so we could hash it out together. Thank you!

By: kandi707

kandi707 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:59:33 +0000

I just finished reading the older version – purchased it even though I knew a new one was coming out. I'm 58 and just this past June heard the term third Culture Kid for the first time in my life. It explains so much of how I have felt over the years and some of the decisions that I made. How I wish my mother was still alive so we could have discussed it with her.

By: jannabecker

jannabecker — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:54:46 +0000

Hi Ruth,
I haven't had the chance to look at the revised version yet, but I wanted to share a phenomenon that I only recently started thinking about. I'm the eldest of 4 TCK's, only my youngest sister who is 7 years younger than me, and was 9 when we returned from overseas, doesn't seem to feel the same way as my two brothers and I.
She's always seemed a little different to the rest of us - even just in her personality, but my husband (a mono-cultural kid!), wondered recently whether she falls into a category of her own - an Aussie kid who's grown up in a family of Missionary Parents and TCK kids, which has therefore shaped the family dynamics.
The closest name I've got for this is that she's a 2nd Generation TCK or a TCK-By-Association.
I'm wondering if this is a situation you've come across before, and what your thoughts are.

Thanks! (And thank you so much for writing your book with David Pollock - it validated my experience for the first time and has been an absolute lifeline for my husband and I as we try to navigate what is effectively a cross cultural marriage!).

Much Love,
Janna

By: Ella

Ella — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:34:42 +0000

I’m very excited to get my hands on it!!!!