"The author grew into womanhood unaware of her celebrated Black ancestors. An unanticipated meeting was to change her life when she found out that her great-great grandfather was Dr. Anderson R. Abbott, the first Canadian-born Black to graduate from medical school in Toronto (in 1861). In Family Secrets Catherine Slaney narrates her journey along the trail of her family tree. Why did some of her family identify with the Black community while others did not? What role did "passing" play? An important contribution to African-Canadian history, this moving and uplifting story demonstrates that understanding one's identity requires first the embracing of the past"--Publisher.