The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century
Over 200 million people currently live abroad; more than 50 million are temporary residents, intending to return to their country of origin. Misunderstood explores the impact international life can have on the children of such families – while they live overseas, when they return, and as they mature into adults. Similarities in their shared experiences (regardless of the different countries in which they have lived) create a safe space of comfort and understanding. Tanya Crossman introduces this space – the Third Culture – through the personal stories of hundreds of individuals. Whether you grew up overseas, are raising children overseas, or know a family living abroad, Misunderstood will equip you with insights into the international experience, along with practical suggestions for how to offer meaningful care and support.
Christopher O’Shaughnessy, Author of Arrivals, Departures and the Adventures in Between wrote:Misunderstood is a must-read for anybody trying to deepen their understanding of the TCK experience and how international mobility affects a child. Tanya Crossman’s collection of unique real-life stories will not only resonate with TCKs, but will also inspire empathy and understanding for anyone who has ever transitioned.
Kay Bruner, MA LCP, author, As Soon As I Fell wrote:Misunderstood left me feeling refreshingly... understood! Compassionate and discerning, its blend of gathered narrative and insight left me with a sense of belonging as well as an appreciation for the many varieties of experience similar to mine. This is the guidebook I want to give people to explain my cultural upbringing.
Craig Storti, Director of Communicating Across Cultures wrote:If I were moving overseas with my kids today, this is the book I’d want in my hand luggage. Misunderstood updates the gold standard of TCK research for today’s families, weaving detailed information together with compelling personal narrative, giving a voice to this generation of kids growing up overseas, and fostering understanding with those who love and care for them.
Linda A. Janssen, author of The Emotionally Resilient Expat wrote:It’s hard to imagine a more thorough – or more thoughtful – treatment of the dynamics of being a TCK. Crossman’s survey results alone make this an invaluable contribution to the field, but it is the compelling voices of TCKs themselves, generously cited throughout, that will leave a lasting impression. Anyone who is a TCK or who cares about them will find insights on every page.
Rachel Cason, PhD on Life Story wrote:Tanya Crossman’s Misunderstood is a valuable and much-welcomed resource for Third Culture Kids who may struggle with grief and a conflicted sense of self after repeated loss of the people, places and ways of life they care about. Crossman’s extensive work with, and interview of, TCKs acknowledges their pain and offers – in their own words, in their own voices − support and the reassurance that the Third Culture itself is their place of sharing, identity, home and belonging. Misunderstood is a treasure chest of ways in which family, friends, and TCKs themselves can provide love, understanding, assistance and the space in which to heal, grow, and ultimately thrive.
Misunderstood is well written, and sympathetically expresses the TCK experiences in all its myriad expressions. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in equipping themselves to understand and care for TCKs.