Cheryl Koenig OAM's Books

In My Blood

A memoir

By: Cheryl Koenig OAM

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An extraordinary life, from ordinary beginnings. Optimism, resilience, audacity, hope, surviving daily challenges for themselves and those they love; carers embody all of these qualities. Cheryl’s is a story about never giving up, nor giving in. Most importantly, however, it is a love story that knows no limits. It is the sequel to her fourth book, With Just One Suitcase, where she met her soulmate, Rob, at fifteen and is still happily married to him after a turbulent life where hers, and her eldest son’s mortality was questioned. With her fearless spirit, Cheryl reveals the mindset that helped her survive, along with some courageous admissions regarding her perceived character flaws. But despite her frankness in discussing life after blood cancer, she is not a victim. Cheryl is an exemplar of her belief that the world is full of unknown achievers who have found a way to stay hopeful despite being fractured on life’s battlefields. They each demonstrate that the path of a champion lies within. They each are resilient. ‘For everything each life crisis has taken from us, something of greater value has been given. Ultimately the choice belongs to us, not fate, to determine how we respond to trials; to determine our own quality of life,’ Cheryl says.

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Page Count

202

Publisher

Wild Dingo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925893030

ISBN 13

9781925893038

With Just One Suitcase

By: Cheryl Koenig

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With Just One Suitcase

By: Cheryl Koenig

This is a true story about two boys, Istvan and Frici, who live two kilometres but worlds apart in Romania. One is Catholic, one is Jewish; one grows up on a farm, the other in the affluent part of town. Life is routine and secure, the future seems predictable and each boy knows his place. Yet when the Second World War breaks out, the familiar world with its clear divisions disintegrates. Families are torn apart as men are forcibly recruited to fight in the war. As the country comes under Nazi, then later communist control, people are held hostage to an ever-changing political landscape, punctuated by military interventions and fluctuating allegiances. As the chance of a peaceful future becomes more remote, with a totalitarian regime in control, Frici and his brother, already facing persecution as Jews, escape across the border with the help of people smugglers, the authorities in pursuit. Istvan, just 16 years old, is transported to work in a Russian gulag, before his chance at freedom comes too. In their parallel journeys, both young men leave their families and beloved homeland to an uncertain future for a shot at freedom in Australia, sacrificing all that is familiar. Facing the challenge of building a new life, they even change their names in an effort to belong. This epic book, spanning two continents, recounts the story of three generations of two families whose lives unexpectedly intersect in their adopted country. Beautifully capturing the loss faced when war dislocates families, it also tells of the struggles and challenges of starting anew and adapting to a different way of life. With Just One Suitcase serves as a tribute to the courage and resilience of two men who bear the scars of war and face adversity without surrendering their optimism for the future. "Like many adult children of first generation Australians, I have grown to appreciate more deeply the momentous decision made by my parents in leaving their homes, their families and everything familiar to come to a new land. I believe Australia has benefited in so many ways from the trust and optimism of those who migrated to our shores. Our richness as a migrant nation endures through the stories of our forebears, told and retold to new generations. This is one such story among many that make us who we are today." - Tanya Plibersek, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development

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Page Count

304

Published Date

ISBN 10

098717858X

ISBN 13

9780987178589

In My Blood

A memoir

By: Cheryl Koenig OAM

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

In My Blood

A memoir

By: Cheryl Koenig OAM

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

202

Publisher

Wild Dingo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925893030

ISBN 13

9781925893038

With Just One Suitcase

By: Cheryl Koenig

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

With Just One Suitcase

By: Cheryl Koenig

This epic book, spanning two continents, recounts the story of three generations of two families whose lives unexpectedly intersect in their adopted country. Beautifully capturing the loss faced when war dislocates families, it also tells of the struggles and challenges of starting anew and adapting to a different way of life. With Just One Suitcase serves as a tribute to the courage and resilience of two men who bear the scars of war and face adversity without surrendering their optimism for the future. “Cheryl Koenig is to be congratulated. She has written a masterpiece. With great skill Cheryl has written an immensely readable, gripping biog documenting daily life in a crazed world. The story begins with a thumbnail sketch of life in semi rural Romania at the outbreak of the second world war and moves on to relate the experiences, in that country, of her then youthful father & father-in-law. Many years later, in Sydney, Australia, they chance to be reunited when Cheryl nervously introduces her father to the father of her future husband. The writing is powerful, in the first person, giving the reader a fly-on-the-wall feeling of being there. Having thoroughly researched the period Cheryl is able to construe the hitherto unknown Romanian perspective with great credibility, and, as if they hadn’t already suffered enough, she goes on to relate how these amazing young men had the courage and strength to take flight and start a new life in this far flung land. That they survived at all is a miracle.” – Sylvia Levi, Goodreads review

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Age

Page Count

295

Publisher

Wild Dingo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0987381172

ISBN 13

9780987381170

Book's by Cheryl Koenig OAM

In My Blood

In My Blood

With Just One Suitcase

With Just One Suitcase

In My Blood

In My Blood

With Just One Suitcase

With Just One Suitcase

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