One of the difficulties that Missionaries’ Kids face is continually being misunderstood. Existing as rare blends of different cultures, it may seem impossible to find places to belong to and people who ‘get’ them. At re-entry retreats like Classic ReBoot, MKs meet others who do understand. Some come to realize for the first time that they are not alone. However, there are many MKs who have never had the chance to attend a re-entry retreat. And what about their parents, loved ones, and friends who want to understand?
Today, the book Pieces of Purple is being released by MK writer Michèle Phoenix, a faithful member of our Classic ReBoot teaching staff each summer. Her book compiles over three decades of her research, teaching, and mentorship of MKs. Pieces of Purple might just be the best resource for both the MK to feel seen, and for their loved ones to understand their “purple people.”
“It is an ode to the beauty of an unconventional life,” Phoenix shares. “To the friendships formed in international spaces, to the thrill of experiencing multi-cultural adventures, and to the way TCKs can walk into a room full of strangers and instinctively find those who share our heart language.
This book is for them. For every MK, every TCK, every Global Nomad who has ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or lost in the in-between.
And it’s for those who love their ‘purple people,’ but don’t quite grasp the source or nature of the differences they see. Understanding fuels wisdom, and wisened love can be both protective and restorative.”
Michèle recruited Elise Cheung as the graphic designer for this project. Cheung is also an MK, and was a staff member at Classic ReBoot 2024.
“Designing Pieces of Purple was a gift of a process!” Cheung writes. “Michèle’s manuscript was already so artful in its formatting - having interludes, poems, quotes, and acts - my job as a designer was really just to come alongside her words and visually support the depth of their message.
We chose smaller book dimensions in hopes that Pieces of Purple can be easy to travel with (read: conducive to the TCK lifestyle!). The quotes from MKs are set in a more human font, surrounded by illustrated dividers that help break up long bodies of text. Interlude and poem pages also use different layouts to offer an invitation to pause and reflect.
"This book is for them....
For every MK, every TCK, every Global Nomad who has ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or lost in the in-between."
The motif of a leaf plays throughout the book’s interior, finding initial life on the cover in multi-media collage. Collage felt right for a book about TCK “pieces.” Michèle and I decided to avoid the colour purple to drive home this point: the true essence of “purple” in a TCK context is less about looking a specific way (what a huge chunk of MK tension has to do with not fitting in on the outside, hey?) and much more about deeper mixing, flow, and movement – all themes embedded in the cover graphic and carried throughout the book.”
“Like so many others, despite the challenges of my own life, I would not trade my TCK experience for anything,” Phoenix writes. “It has given me a heart that beats for the world, a spirit that craves connection, and a faith that has been refined through both certainty and doubt.
There is beauty in our complexity. There is strength in our resilience. There is richness in our wandering. And in the end, the pieces of our story—scattered though they may be—come together to form something breathtaking.”
Pieces of Purple is available on Amazon as of today, April 3rd, 2025. Buy it for a discounted price today only!
"There is beauty in our complexity. There is strength in our resilience. There is richness in our wandering. And in the end, the pieces of our story—scattered though they may be—come together to form something breathtaking.”
Raised in France by a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle Pheonix is a mentor, writer, and speaker with a heart for Missionaries’ Kids. She taught for twenty years at Black Forest Academy (Germany) before launching her own ministry advocating for MKs and TCKs in 2011. She now travels globally to teach on topics related to this unique people group, consults with international families and organizations, writes articles about TCK joys and challenges for her blog, and hosts the Pondering Purple podcast. Michèle has written five traditionally published novels, as well as Flecks of Gold, a reflection on God and suffering that stems from her journey through cancer. For more information or to contact Michèle, go to www.michelephoenix.com.
Elise Cheung is an Edmonton-based freelance graphic designer currently studying in MacEwan University's Bachelor of Design program. Specializing in branding and print/publication design, she also explores photography, illustration, and web design. In addition to design work, Elise has published a small book of poems. You can find her work at elisebydesign.ca.
Malik Dieleman is TCK (Third Culture Kid) who grew up in Marseille, France; London, Ontario; and Dakar, Senegal. Now he lives in Toronto. Malik first attended ReBoot back in 2016, when he was introduced to MORE Network, and has since been involved in ReBoot as a staff member. This summer, he is co-directing ReBoot 2025. Malik works as the Digital Content Designer for MORE Network. Malik is an artist at heart and studied Photography at OCAD University. Outside of his freelance work, he loves cooking, playing beach volleyball, and watching reality TV.
