Bloodline caprtures the moving and terrifying stories of the author's paternal relatives, who travelled from nineteenth century Russia to the New World, only to later experience violence, fear and sadness at profound levels. A brutal double murder in Nova Scotia of a beloved family patriarch and his wife; a deadly fire in Sackville, New Brunswick, that almost killed the author's father, as it turned out a hero that cold December night; and the Cuban revolution that forced other of the author's relatives to flee with only the shirts on their backs: this book has it all, and more. The book also describes the inspiring history of the author's recent maternal ancestors, who came from Ireland and settled in the "town of canals" – Lowell, Massachusetts -- in order to do what everyone there did: work in the massive, grimy textile mills.) Au also wanted to change the "About the author" to ( About the author: Lynne Cohen was a journalist for 30 years before she wrote Bloodline, which combines her talent for gripping, humourous writing and her profound love of family. A grandmother of three, a non-practicing lawyer and an amateur stand up comedian, Cohen lives in Ottawa with her husband. She discovered – in researching and writing about her amazing family – the beauty of and need for personal connections with recent ancestral history.