The complexity, challenge, and rewards of growing up globally is a key element in Daughter of Copper, A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Identity, Growing up on Borrowed Land. While it is told through the eyes of a Child growing up in the shadows of the Braden Copper Company in Chile, in a specific time and place in history, it has resonated beyond the scope of the “children of copper” to those who grew up globally under varied circumstances such as the children of foreign service personnel and missionaries. Comments such as “this book has validated my experience”, and “you are telling my story”, illustrate the importance of being able to share the experience of growing up globally with those who have had similar experiences, to help validate and affirm the identity that is forged as a result of this childhood, and to understand and navigate the overarching feelings that arise when people ask, “Where are you from?”
The greatest challenge of growing up globally is coming “home”. The notion of home is something other the home country that is shown in a passport. Another comment about the book illustrates this well, “It makes you think hard about what ‘your country’ is, what it means to you, and what it will mean to you for the rest of your life.” For many children who have grown up globally, the concept of finding “home” is complex. For some it shows in an extraordinary feeling of seeing places and traveling, and for others it is an intense desire to put down roots. Home is often viewed by global children as a place where the heart feels just right!