"This book was not meant to be a big scientific study on TCKs but rather a sort of letter to those who love us and want to understand us more."
Carissa Gobbles
I think that Gobbles accomplished this goal beautifully. This is a simple and poignant book about Third Culture Kids (TCKs). A TCK is defined as "Someone who has spent at least 1 year before the age of 17 in a country that was not their passport country" (Location 94). This includes my children, and I wish I could have given this book to people who were not as understanding of my youngest son's difficulty adjusting when we returned after spending just two years in another country. This book can help people understand.
Gobbles uses stories from her own childhood growing up in Southeast Asia and the Middle East and stories from other TCKs she surveyed for this book.
She also points out what these amazing people bring to the world:
TCKs are uniquely positioned to be these connectors in a divided world: to help bridge preconceived ideas of other people with new questions and curiosity; to open doors of wonder and opportunity for connection instead of division. We are a wealth of cultural first-hand experiences just waiting for you to ask us our thoughts. (Location 525)
I highly recommend this book.
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