Between Worlds - by Inga Aksamit (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

What happens when a child grows up between worlds, never fully belonging anywhere? In this compelling memoir, Inga Aksamit takes readers on a journey across four continents as she navigates life as the daughter of an international engineer during the turbulent 1960s and '70s.

From age four, when she nearly loses her mother on a Tokyo train platform, through harrowing military evacuations from Pakistan and Bangladesh, Inga's childhood is marked by constant change and adaptation. She attends nine schools before high school, learning to make friends quickly while knowing each goodbye might be permanent. In Peru, she faces life-threatening illness while her father works in the remote Sechura Desert. Back in California, she struggles to fit into suburban life, carrying the invisible scars of her expatriate youth.

Through it all, she grapples with questions of identity and belonging. Is home the place where her doll Chuz sits on her bed, or is it somewhere deeper within? How does a child process trauma when the adults around her treat upheaval as adventure? And how does that child grow into an adult capable of lasting relationships?

Written with unflinching honesty and vivid detail, Between Worlds captures both the privilege and the pain of a Third Culture Kid's experience. Aksamit's story illuminates the complexity of growing up across cultures while offering hope for finding connection and belonging. This intimate memoir will resonate with anyone who has ever felt caught between identities or searched for a place to call home.