Foreign Service Books
The Absentee American: Repatriates' Perspectives in America
By Carolyn D. Smith
"No longer the undisputed leader of the world community, the United States needs to reassess its role in world affairs; at the same time, Americans need to modify their attitudes toward people of other nations. This process is already under way: The ugly American is being replaced by the worldly American. And in the vanguard are the generations of Americans who spent their childhood years in other countries: the Absentee Americans. They are the prototypes of the international citizen of the twenty-first century."
This unique volume describes the impact of overseas living on Americans who spent some of their formative years in other countries and returned to the United States during their high school or early college years. Based on a survey and interviews of more than 300 returnees, The Absentee American describes overseas life, reentry into the United States, and the long-term effects of these experiences on repatriated Americans. The author, a freelance writer who grew up in the Foreign Service, explores the feelings and attitudes of repatriates and emphasizes the need for increased intercultural education and training.
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