Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds: The original, classic book on TCKs

Front Cover
John Murray Press, Nov 26, 2010 - Social Science - 306 pages

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.

Other editions - View all

About the author (2010)

David C. Pollock (Author)
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.

Ruth E. Van Reken (Author)
For over thirty years RUTH E. VAN REKEN has traveled extensively speaking about issues related to globally mobile families. She is also seeking to understand how lessons learned from the TCK experience can transfer to others raised among many cultural worlds for various reasons. Ruth is also the author of Letters Never Sent, multiple other writings and co-founder and past chairperson of Families in Global Transition.

Michael V. Pollock (Author)
MICHAEL V. POLLOCK is the founding director of Daraja, a TCK care and development initiative. He served on the board of Families in Global Transition for two years and currently serves on the board of "I Am a Triangle". Michael is a certified teacher and coach and holds a Master's in Education from Loyola University. He and his wife raised three TCKs in China and returned to the US in 2012.

Bibliographic information