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The Inconvenient Child
A True Story
The True Story of an Abandoned Australian Child’s Struggle to Survive Childhood and Find her African American Father.
An unacceptable liaison, a secret birth, a mother’s silence, and her black child’s journey to discover the truth…
It is 1948, Sydney, Australia. Pretty, blonde Grace discovers she is pregnant to a black merchant marine who has sailed back to America. The White Australia Policy is in place and society’s judgment matters; so what will Grace do with this baby?
This is the extraordinary true life story of Sharyn Killens - The Inconvenient Child.
Rescued from squalid foster care by visiting champion African American boxer Freddie Dawson, the baby Sharyn is taken to live in a party house in Sydney’s red light district of Kings Cross. Her absent, elegant mother then abandons her in a convent–orphanage, at age five.
By fifteen, discrimination within her family, resentment and clashes over her father’s undisclosed identity see the troubled teenager running away to the streets of Kings Cross where she’s arrested and sentenced to notorious juvenile detention centres in Parramatta and Hay.
Sharyn’s solace is her love of music but can she realize her dream to become a singer if, by twenty-four, she is caught up in the Kings Cross lifestyle?
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Determined to find her African American father, Sharyn sets out in search of her roots; a quest taking her across the world and eventually to America’s Deep South. But will she find the loving family and belonging she has yearned for all her life? More Information ...
CLICK HERE to WATCH ABC TV 7.30 REPORT
What readers are saying...
“I have just finished your book! It was wonderful. I cried, I laughed and I was shocked how a beautiful little girl could be put through such heartache and abuse. You are a survivor!! You have both put together a beautiful, honest and eye-opening book. Congratulations.” Lynne Rush - Sydney NSW
“The Inconvenient Child is a riveting read. Lindsey Lewis, you are one awesome writer. You highlight the human spirit in a way that is both challenging and inspiring. Sharyn Killens is an amazing person to have survived such a life. It leaves you wondering how petty we can be at times. It also highlights how much we have to answer for as a country. These children were treated as animals and rejects when in fact all they needed was love and comfort. I hope our government will learn from this book and ensure that these atrocities never occur again.” Ludwina Dautovic TheRedTentWoman - Melbourne VIC
“The Inconvenient Child was truly an inspiring & touching story. Sharyn, you are a true inspiration and a breath of fresh air. Your book is breath-taking & lots of soggy tissues and I admire and respect you & may God Bless You always. Lindsay, you are a wonderful and talented author, which is something you can be very proud of. PS. Come to Dubbo (for an author talk)!!!” Eleanor Seaman - Dubbo NSW
“Outstanding Book! I recently read The Inconvenient Child and could hardly put it down! What an incredible true story about a person of great courage and how she triumphed over unbelievable adversity and hardship. A truly fascinating, heartwarming look inside the life of singer Sharyn Chrystal (Killens).
I would never wish such a childhood on anyone, but I would wish such a wonderful ending on everyone! This book is a huge inspiration to me whenever I am tempted to complain about the small inconveniences in my own life! I learned much from Sharyn’s struggles. Here’s to the girls who endured Parramatta and Hay!” Liz Moore - Idaho USA
“I am not an avid reader and some times it takes me a year to read a book. But not this time, as it has taken me just over a week. What an amazing story and quite a few times I was a blubbering mess. I think Sharyn deserves the VC for overcoming such adversity, right from a young age.
Just a little about myself, I will be 74 on the last day of this month. I have something in common with Alan, Sharyn's husband, as I also am a Plumber. My thanks to Sharyn and Lindsay for sharing the account of a hard life and such a wonderful outcome with me and who ever else reads the book.” George Crook - Windsor NSW
“I have finished the book and am so sorry it is finished. We laugh and we cry with Sharyn and feel every emotion with her on her quest to find herself. This is a book that will uplift you but also make you angry at how she was treated.
I enjoyed it from whoa to go and well done for a job extremely well done. I would thoroughly recommend this book to all readers who like reading true life stories and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. I certainly wasn't.” Pam Bayfield - President of The Society of Women Writers
“Tonight I finished your book. It was incredible; I LOVED IT, devoured it! I haven't read anything this compelling in a long time. Congratulations. It's just WONDERFUL.” Francine Bell - NSW, Australia
“This is a book packed with both joy and grief. During Sharyn's years of abandonment it was almost
too much to bear and I wanted to put the book down. That was impossible to do of course. I felt I needed to honour those years of misery that Sharyn and other children like her endured outside the warmth of a loving family. Sharyn's battle to realise her own dreams and loves was very uplifting. I felt swept along on the journey to America, tears of joy at the ready.
Lindsay achieved the difficult task of narrating a true story with an underlying feeling of honesty and integrity. I have been telling all my friends about this book.” Truda Rail - NSW
“I have never read a book so fast in my life and felt so many emotions through the journey.
Lindsay you are a wonderful writer. Sharyn you are an inspiration. It is amazing to hear about your life and get an insight into what you endured and then came out the other side a successful and loved lady. Thank you for this book and I think everyone should read this book.” Beth Fielding - NSW
“I have just finished the book. I couldn't put it down. What an amazing story. I was taken on a journey that bought me both tears of sadness and tears of joy. I have never read a book that made me feel like I was there living her life it was so detailed you could feel every place and every emotion.
You should be very proud of this accomplishment and I am very happy that I was the first one to purchase the book on the internet and experience the story.” Kelly Cookson - Yerrinbool NSW
“I have just last night finished Sharyn's amazing story. I could not put it down. No one could ever imagine this elegant, loving, talented lady had been through such much pain and torment. The blessing of family is the most precious gift in life. I thank god for mine.
Sharyn, you must be so proud to have been given the opportunity to tell your story through this most amazing book.” Lorraine Hughes, NSW Australia
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