profound truth

Have you ever tried to explain something to your children in the hope they would just listen and take your word for it? That they wouldn’t have to find it out the hard way by actually experiencing it? Welcome to a parental treasure trove. In writing this book, Linda Janssen takes us under her parental wing and invites us to do just that: listen. Browse this book before you move. Flip through its pages while unpacking boxes. Open it randomly in the fall, winter, and spring. When you reach the end, start all over again. These pages contain a well-written harvest of wisdom, both Janssen’s own and that of many wise others, gleaned from many fields of human experience. As with any food rich in nutrition, this book is best sampled regularly and digested slowly. If Janssen had had a book like this at her disposal, she might not have had to write this herself, meaning we wouldn’t be able to read it. Go figure. That must be the power of emotional resilience.

Linda A. Janssen provides the modern day expat with a roadmap of emotional resilience. A rich smorgasbord of tools and techniques, including a diverse selection of personal vignettes, current research/ theory and her own experience, invaluable help is at hand for those facing the challenges encountered in a new culture.

Janssen skillfully weaves her own thoughts and experiences with those who have lived, loved and studied all facets of the expatriate life. With this book, which should be packed in the suitcase of anyone heading to that vast unknown, Expatland, the chances of becoming The Emotionally Resilient Expat will be significantly increased.