The Inconvenient Child

I found this memoir The Inconvenient Child by Sharyn Killens & Lindsay Lewis a good read with some very disturbing aspects.  Sharyn is born in Sydney in 1948, the illegitimate daughter of a beautiful white woman and an African-American sailor who had been in Sydney.  Sharyn is treated shamefully by her mother and grandmother because they are embarrassed by her colour as well as her illegitimacy.  Sharyn's mother keeps her hidden by first leaving her with people she paid to look after her and then putting her in an orphanage.  Sharyn is brought up to herself be ashamed of who she is as she is not shown love and affection, instead she suffers further when she's put in to institutions.  As she gets older she wants to learn about her father but her mother refuses for many years to tell her anything.  She becomes a professional singer and eventually enjoys a good life.  Finally she learns about her own roots and discovers she has a family who accept her with unconditional love. The author has a website with more information here.