Tanya Crossman - Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century

Misunderstood

The impact of
growing up overseas
in the 21st Century

Tanya Crossman

Misunderstood is a must-read for anybody trying to deepen their understanding of the TCK experience and how international mobility affects a child. Tanya Crossmans 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.

Valrie Besanceney, author, B at Home: Emma Moves Again and
My Moving Booklet. International primary school teacher.

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.

Christopher OShaughnessy, International Speaker, author,
Arrivals, Departures and the Adventures In-Between. www.chris-o.com

If I were moving overseas with my kids today, this is the book Id want in my hand luggage. Misunderstood updates the gold standard of TCK research for todays 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.

Kay Bruner, MA LCP, author, As Soon As I Fell,
contributor, A Life Overseas. www.kaybruner.com

Its hard to imagine a more thorough or more thoughtful treatment of the dynamics of being a TCK. Crossmans 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.

Craig Storti, Director of Communicating Across Cultures,

author, The Art of Crossing Cultures, The Art of Coming Home,

and Cross-Cultural Dialogues. www.craigstorti.com

Tanya Crossmans 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. Crossmans 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.

Linda A. Janssen, author, The Emotionally Resilient Expat:
Engage, Adapt and Thrive Across Cultures

Misunderstood, indeed! This book is a must have for anyone who is interested in or works within Third Culture Life. The information and real-life experiences shared reflect the reality of what it is to be a global citizen and the importance of having a framework to support TCKs/Expat Youth. I plan to use this book as a resource, and I highly recommend it to others. Thank you, Tanya, for supporting this population, and for providing such a valuable tool.

Dr Lisa Pittman, Licensed Psychologist (USA),
Registered Psychologist (UK), co-author, Expat Teens Talk

Wow, what an insightful, well researched book. The TCK insights and stories are so personal... anyone with a cross- cultural upbringing or connection will relate to them. I wish excellent resources like this had been available when I was exploring the effects of my TCK upbringing. You will be able to understand and love TCKs in a richer, deeper and more meaningful way as a result of Misunderstood. Thanks Tanya for your devotion and efforts a great addition to TCK literature!

Heidi Sand-Hart, author, Home Keeps Moving

Misunderstood explains ME. Tanya gives words to internal feelings I could not have previously understood as a TCK. While I read, I found myself nodding with a sense of relief and recognition, Yes! Thats what I felt. Im not the only one.

Taylor Joy Murray, author, Hidden in My Heart:
A TCKs Journey Through Cultural Transition

My response to reading Misunderstood was to smile because it captured the essence of who I am. It reminded me of just how much potential we TCKs have to make a real impact in the world, particularly bridging the cultural divides that exist today. Id recommend this book to anyone who has ever found themselves in between cultures it is a compass for guiding you to your true north as a TCK.

Tayo Rockson, author, The Ultimate Guide to TCK Living, host of the
As Told By Nomads podcast and editor of www.BrandEdU.com

Misunderstood does indeed open a window on how an international upbringing may affect a child. This book will be a great resource for people working with the global population or families thinking about a global life. I loved that Crossman covers being misunderstood by friends as being hard enough, but that she also covers being misunderstood by family. Understanding TCKs and CCKs backed by her statistics makes a very interesting read. You will enjoy the two sides of goodbye, the common threads she taps into about TCKs, and information about non- traditional families. Crossman has excellent feedback from TCKs on the various lives we offer our children when we move them abroad.

Julia Simens, author, Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child:
Practical tips and storytelling techniques that will strengthen the global family

Tanya Crossman has done an artful job of using numerous quotes from experts in the field, along with voices of TCKs around the world, to back up her research on TCKs. Her research makes this book a valuable resource for those who study and or work with TCKs.

Lois Bushong, M.S., Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, author,

Belonging Everywhere & Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally

Mobile. Owner and Counselor at Quiet Streams Counseling.

www.quietstreamscounseling.com

Only such qualitative methodology can showcase the voices of the TCKs experience. Identifying participants by age, nationalities, number of moves, sponsor affiliation, and type of schooling, help the reader gain invaluable insights. Explaining the wider concept of Cross-Culture Kids illuminates the multilayers within each experience, as does the focus on pre/post 1985 birthdate. Another invaluable contribution to the literature for CCKs, TCKs and those who live and work with them.

Dr Ettie Zilber, Head of the International School of Arizona
and author of Third Culture Kids: The Children of International
School Educators

Mix the ways people feel like outsiders in a casserole. Cut a hundred bite-sized pieces of theory, each spiced with a compelling story. Serve immediately. Misunderstood provides unlimited servings of understanding for those trying to understand TCKs and for TCKs trying to understand themselves.

Drs. Douglas W. Ota, Psychologist, author, Safe Passage:
What Mobility Does to People and What International Schools

Should Do About It

Tanya Crossman begins Misunderstood with the important caveat that she is describing a perspective, not a person. Through detailed narratives and interviews from hundreds of TCKs, she beautifully achieves her goal and gives us a broad picture of the world of the Third Culture Kid. Misunderstood is sure to be an excellent addition to the current body of TCK literature.