Marilyn Gardner

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.