Customer Reviews

The Inconvenient Child: An Abandoned Australian Child Struggles to Survive and Find her American Father

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Fathered by a nameless black soldier and borne and reared, sort of, by a woman she called Princess Mummy (later Ice-Princess Mummy), Australian singer and memoirist Sharyn Killens has led a fairytale of a life -- sometimes a dark one. Like all good fairytales, it's a rags-to-riches saga, but since it's also a twentieth-century tale, the riches are those of the spirit. The inconvenient child Sharyn Samuels transforms herself into Sharyn Crystal, elegant popular entertainer -- and woman on a quest -- and ultimately into Sharyn Killens, who at last knows her own story.

Unwanted and neglected by her white mother and grandmother, despised for her brown skin, Sharyn was sent at age five to the Aussie equivalent of Ireland's notorious Magdalene Laundries, those convents where unwanted girls were locked up to atone for their "sins" with hard work. (Sharyn refers to her caretakers as the "Sisters of No Mercy.") The outcome was inevitable: juvenile detention centers, strip clubs, drugs, a too-early romantic career, children, husbands, and the search for self-respect in a country that despised people of her color.

Her eventual success as a cabaret and luxury cruise singer offered Killens a partial salvation, as well as her devotion to her sons and her second husband. Most significant was Sharyn's determination to find her father, the mysterious American G.I. who had wooed and won her mother in 1948, and then sailed away, promising to send for her, but never came back.

Co-written with Lindsay Lewis, a businesswoman and former entertainer who is Killens's long-time friend, The Inconvenient Child makes for lively reading, although the prose is seldom more than serviceable, and the book as a whole lacks the sort of deeper insight that makes for a truly resonant autobiography. Nonetheless, The Inconvenient Child is an absorbing book with a great storyline and memorable scenes. It's also a vivid look back at postwar Australia, as well as a moving reminder of the sons and daughters of overseas servicemen, too many of whom still become inconvenient children. -- Melanie Lawrence for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

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!

This is the amazing story of an incredible life - beautifully told. From the opening paragraph you are on a journey that takes you from despair to joy as this wonderful girl fights against the odds to find her American father and a family that she can call her own. It was compulsive reading from the beginning to the end and I highly recommend it. Every woman should read this book.

This book touched my heart and my soul. It is a raw account of a young child's struggle to survive abuse and hardship and her desperate attempts to gain her mother's love and approval.

But it's not all heartbreak and misery. Her journey to success is inspiring and her quest to find her African American father and her identity is uplifting. She proves that with courage and perseverance you can achieve your dreams. This book is very easy to read and each chapter left me wanting to read the next. I highly recommend this book!

This is a terrific book about what happened to the unwanted chilren of world war II
also about the horrible place they send "unruly children too" This is just one of the many things that happened to children during that time. thanks

Don't even think about it you want to read this book. After reading this novel, my problems and concerns seem so trivial. This story is one of the most powerful life stories you will EVER read. Hat's off to you Sharyn Killens you are a survior and a remarkable woman.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was a real gift to read Sharyn's story.