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Worlds Apart: A Third Culture Kid's Journey Paperback – February 26, 2018

by Marilyn R Gardner (Author), Rachel Pieh Jones (Foreword)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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"I had grown up in Pakistan, was nurtured on her soil, took my first steps and said my first words there. Pakistan was a land that knew me before I had a recollection of 'being;' before I knew I was human."
This sequel to Marilyn Gardner's Between Worlds probes deeply into the journey that forms a third culture kid's identity. Gardner weaves together memories of joy and pain, close friendships and loneliness in a compelling portrait of an international childhood. From the close quarters of boarding school, to the strangeness of furloughs in her parents' native Massachusetts, Worlds Apart is an honest and moving portrayal of a young girl's struggles with faith, friendship, and belonging. The book offers an inspiring model for other third culture kids seeking to make sense of their unique experience, and the final chapter brings together many practical resources to help TCKs navigate their own journey. 
"This is a book that shows the complications of a challenging childhood, the healing power of a faithful life, and the precious gifts Third Culture Kids are to the world."  Rachel Pieh Jones, from the Foreword
"Part spiritual reflection, part childhood reminiscence and part travelogue, Marilyn's book will be especially welcomed by those trying to make sense of their own personal stories, especially if they involve transitions across multiple cultures and geographic locations."  Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, author of The Dust of Kandahar and Some Far and Distant Place
Worlds Apart incorporates material previously published by Doorlight Publications under the title Passages Through Pakistan.
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  1. Print length
    238 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Doorlight Publications
  4. Publication date
    February 26, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0998223328
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0998223322
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Editorial Reviews

Review

[Worlds Apart] tells the captivating story of Marilyn Gardner's childhood as a 'third culture kid', raised by her Christian, American missionary parents in the heart of Pakistan. Gardner's eloquent story of the trials, tribulations, and lessons of growing up as a bridge between these rich cultures serves as an important lens through which Americans and Pakistanis can learn more about one another and their important long-term partnership in a time when the gap between the two nations seems to be growing ever larger.... Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, D.C

Marilyn Gardner's Worlds Apart - A Third Culture Kid's Journey (previously published under Passages Through Pakistan) is a wonderful book, presenting in both a descriptive and reflective way the wonder of her childhood that took place in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the villages and deserts of southern Pakistan and the small towns of New England, along with some of the places in between.
As the only daughter in a remarkable family that included four brothers, Marilyn emerges as a sensitive observer with an impressive eye for detail as well as a well developed memory for the small anecdote that often reveals a much larger meaning.
Part spiritual reflection, part childhood reminiscence and part travelogue, Marilyn's book will be especially welcomed by those trying to make sense of their own personal stories, especially if they involve transitions across multiple cultures and geographic locations.A deeply moving observer of the places, people and events that have surrounded her, she demonstrates sensitivity and understanding toward an often misunderstood part of the world, presenting the sights, sounds, landscapes and peoples of Pakistan in ways that are largely absent in both newspaper headlines and superficial social media accounts that all too often know little and understand even less.
Americans growing up in Asia and Asians growing up in America will especially gravitate toward this account, capturing as it does the complexity as well as the wonder and astonishment of childhoods spent in unlikely places. It will also resonate strongly with missionary kids and third culture kids everywhere.

~ Jonathan Addleton, former US Ambassador to Mongolia, is the author of several books including The Dust of Kandahar and Some Far and Distant Place

From the Author

While my book Between Worlds - Essays on Culture and Belonging is a series of reflections on growing up overseas and then living overseas as an adult, this new book Worlds Apart - A Third Culture Kid's Journey is a memoir and more chronological account of those years from birth to age 18. There is no single story in the third culture kid narrative, rather we each have our own unique stories, but my hope is that readers can connect with my story and some of the common themes of a third culture identity shaped by many places and events. My hope is also that readers will see the country of Pakistan in a much more nuanced way than the mainstream media portrays. I am ever grateful to Pakistan - Land of the Pure - for her never ending hospitality, her beauty, and her love. It is important to note that the initial part of the book was previously published under the title Passages Through Pakistan. This new edition has a foreword by Rachel Pieh Jones and a section at the end on Writing Your Own Story. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doorlight Publications; Previously Titled Passages Through Pakistan ed. edition (February 26, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0998223328
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0998223322
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Marilyn Gardner

Marilyn Gardner

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Marilyn Gardner was raised in Pakistan and went on to raise her own five children in Pakistan and Egypt before moving to the Boston area. She is the author of Between Worlds, (2014 Doorlight Publications) and Worlds Apart: A Third Culture Kid's Journey (2018 Doorlight Publications.) Both books resonate with those both inside and outside their passport countries who know the joys and challenges of living between two or more, often conflicting worlds.

In Worlds Apart, Marilyn traces a journey of growing faith and emerging identity in a small missionary community. From the close quarters of boarding school, to the strangeness of furloughs in her parents' native Massachusetts, this honest portrayal of a young girl's struggles with faith, friendship, and belonging will resonate deeply with a wide range of readers.

Between Worlds is a set of essays that explore the rootlessness and grief as well as the unexpected moments of humor and joy that are a part of living between two worlds. Between Worlds charts a journey between the cultures of East and West, the comfort of being surrounded by loved ones and familiar places, and the loneliness of not belonging. "Every one of us has been at some point between two worlds, be they faith and loss of faith, joy and sorrow, birth and death. Between Worlds is a luminous guide for connecting---and healing---worlds." - Cathy Romeo, co-author, Ended Beginnings: Healing Childbearing Losses

Marilyn's work also appears in What a Woman is Worth (Civitas Press, April 1,2014) Plough Quarterly, Fathom Magazine, and Among Worlds magazine. Marilyn has lived as an adult in Pakistan, Egypt, the United States, and most recently the Kurdish region of Iraq. She is the creator of the popular blog Communicating Across Boundaries and a contributor and administrator for A Life Overseas Blog.

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A beautiful memoir by a TCK/MK about growing up in Pakistan
5 out of 5 stars
A beautiful memoir by a TCK/MK about growing up in Pakistan
Marilyn is a friend of mine and a classmate of mine in our younger years in the beautiful mountains of Pakistan.My family left Pakistan in my forth grade grade and returned to the States. This was a hugely traumatic and consequential change in my life.Marilyn gives voice to much of the confusion and pain and joy of my experience as we have so much in common.My childhood as a very privileged white American boy (even if poor by US standards) was magical for me. Unlike Marilyn, and others, I did not feel homesick while in boarding school. It was an experience I would not trade for anything. But I can not imagine sending my own kids off with a bug out bag in case of war!While her struggles with faith issues weren't mine until later in life, I so appreciate her honesty and transparency as she recounts them.I share with her a deep and abiding love for our heart country as well as the grief and sadness as it struggles with living into its potential. Also, the defensiveness on its behalf as American demonstrate so little awareness of Pakistan and such casual dismissal if it's beauty of people and country.Well, I can go on... I am honored to be friends with Marilyn, to have shared this experience with her and am so grateful for writing in her books, blog and on social media.Thank you Marilyn
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Top reviews from the United States

  • sdbruce
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful memoir by a TCK/MK about growing up in Pakistan
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Marilyn is a friend of mine and a classmate of mine in our younger years in the beautiful mountains of Pakistan.

    My family left Pakistan in my forth grade grade and returned to the States. This was a hugely traumatic and consequential change in my life.

    Marilyn gives voice to much of the confusion and pain and joy of my experience as we have so much in common.

    My childhood as a very privileged white American boy (even if poor by US standards) was magical for me. Unlike Marilyn, and others, I did not feel homesick while in boarding school. It was an experience I would not trade for anything. But I can not imagine sending my own kids off with a bug out bag in case of war!

    While her struggles with faith issues weren't mine until later in life, I so appreciate her honesty and transparency as she recounts them.

    I share with her a deep and abiding love for our heart country as well as the grief and sadness as it struggles with living into its potential. Also, the defensiveness on its behalf as American demonstrate so little awareness of Pakistan and such casual dismissal if it's beauty of people and country.

    Well, I can go on... I am honored to be friends with Marilyn, to have shared this experience with her and am so grateful for writing in her books, blog and on social media.

    Thank you Marilyn
    Customer image
    sdbruce
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    A beautiful memoir by a TCK/MK about growing up in Pakistan

    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
    Marilyn is a friend of mine and a classmate of mine in our younger years in the beautiful mountains of Pakistan.

    My family left Pakistan in my forth grade grade and returned to the States. This was a hugely traumatic and consequential change in my life.

    Marilyn gives voice to much of the confusion and pain and joy of my experience as we have so much in common.

    My childhood as a very privileged white American boy (even if poor by US standards) was magical for me. Unlike Marilyn, and others, I did not feel homesick while in boarding school. It was an experience I would not trade for anything. But I can not imagine sending my own kids off with a bug out bag in case of war!

    While her struggles with faith issues weren't mine until later in life, I so appreciate her honesty and transparency as she recounts them.

    I share with her a deep and abiding love for our heart country as well as the grief and sadness as it struggles with living into its potential. Also, the defensiveness on its behalf as American demonstrate so little awareness of Pakistan and such casual dismissal if it's beauty of people and country.

    Well, I can go on... I am honored to be friends with Marilyn, to have shared this experience with her and am so grateful for writing in her books, blog and on social media.

    Thank you Marilyn
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  • MCS1968
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shared her life story
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Very cathartic for me as I was raised in Pakistan of missionary parents, went to the same school as Marilyn (although graduated a decade earlier) and was able to relive my feeling of "otherness" through this book. Thank you, Marilyn, for articulating so much of our lives so thoughtfully and with grace.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • DSchmidt
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you've been a TCK, or know a TCK...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2018
    Reading "Worlds Apart" brought back memories of my own time growing up outside the US—my ‘passport country’, to use the author’s phrase. My life was different from Marilyn Gardner’s, but the way she talks about her experiences resonates with what I remember, too. As Gardner explains, that’s typical for third culture kids: the particulars vary, but most TCKs carry a sense of rootlessness, most of them feel like they’re ‘in between’, most of them struggle with answering the question, “where are you from?”.

    Gardner writes in a captivating way about being raised in Pakistan—and while this book reads like both a travelogue and a memoir, complete with the sights, sounds, and smells of a ‘foreign’ culture, "Worlds Apart" really wants to reflect on the third culture kid experience. What’s it like to grow up in a place that’s ‘foreign’ to your parents—people who, because they are missionaries, government officials, military personnel, or business people, move overseas and raise their kids in one or more countries outside their ‘passport culture’—but also never fully ‘home’ for you?

    "Worlds Apart" joins other similarly-themed books in examining an experience that is both shared by many and misunderstood by many. As such, it offers comfort and clarity: if you’re a TCK, you’ll resonate with Gardner’s descriptions of boarding school, ‘strange’ food, coming to grips with learning new languages and cultures, and a steady stream of ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’; if you’re friends with or related to a TCK, you’ll get a better grip on why they can figure out international travel but not know how to drive, or why they want to go somewhere else or do something different every couple of years.

    I came across Gardner’s writing through an article on "saudade"—a Portuguese term for the homesickness people feel even when they’re around those they love. That led me to this book, which I’ll be recommending to TCKs and those in their orbit. "Worlds Apart" is a great resource for appreciating the TCK experience—and a trustworthy companion for jogging memories that have lain dormant for too long.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tami
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful descriptions of life growing up as a tck, honesty about challenge and joy.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2020
    This book gave me insight and a better understanding of so much I have not experienced: life in Pakistan, life in boarding school from a young age, and more. The descriptions of TCK life spanning young childhood through to young adulthood were challenging, encouraging, and enjoyable to read. Marilyn is honest about the heartbreak and descriptive in the joy of growth, friends, and comfort of God through it all. Thank you for this book, it is a wonderful joy to read, not only for TCK's but for anyone processing their story and their place in this beautiful and confusing world.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kathy Queen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Honest and Motivating
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2020
    A wonderful, transparent tale of the highs and lows of living cross culturally as a family from the perspective of the child. A great read for third culture kids of any age and for anyone even considering or already involved in cross cultural life. Moreover its relevancy increases daily as we enter the age of the global village, ready or not.
    One person found this helpful
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  • rpj
    5.0 out of 5 stars For Third Culture Kids and anyone who loves them
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018
    Worlds Apart is a wonderful book for Third Culture Kids and their parents, for churches, for people who live internationally and for the people who send them out, who love them, who pray for them. It isn’t always an easy read because Marilyn doesn’t gloss over the hard parts of her childhood but it is a hopeful read, because she finds grace, joy, God, and redemption right in those hard parts.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • LaWanda Jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars ... does this thing -- where she makes you feel like her story is your story
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018
    Marilyn does this thing -- where she makes you feel like her story is your story. Worlds Apart connects and draws you in personally and intimately but also offers a broader, big picture perspective of TCK life. My favorite line in the whole book? "Bearable? Bearable? . . . it was more than bearable. My childhood was extraordinary." As a parent of TCK's that line and this book gives me hope that we can do more than break even.
    2 people found this helpful
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