One Summer in Whitney Pier: Former lieutenant-governor releases book honouring her hometown

Mayann Francis may be best known to many as the first African Nova Scotian to serve as lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia – a position she held from 2006 to 2012.

However, Francis has many more accolades to her name, including author, with no less than three books to her credit.

Francis' latest book, called "One Summer in Whitney Pier," is a children's story and a love letter of sorts – to her beloved Cape Breton hometown.

"I'm always talking about being from Whitney Pier and how much I loved it, and how proud I am that I'm a Whitney Pier person, because I do believe very strongly that Whitney Pier played a big foundation in my life," said Francis, as she spoke of her hometown of Whitney Pier, N.S.

"It was an area where there was all immigrants, and the immigrants were from all over, and so, long before the word multicultural, that's how I grew up. I grew up in a multicultural group."

Francis says, growing up, Whitney Pier had a strong sense of community, with many sharing food, clothing and more.

"We were all poor, but some were worse off than the others, so you received clothing. My mother always made clothing for us and then when we outgrew it, she give it away," said Francis. "So, it was just a community of giving and being together. It was great."

Francis hopes readers walk away with a better understanding of love for family, friends and community.

"It's about recognizing that you can be creative and have fun and enjoy life, because the story was talking about how I was upset and I couldn't play baseball, and my two friends were going away for the summer, so what was I going to do? And it ended up, it was a wonderful summer," she explained.

Francis also found a way to incorporate Queen Elizabeth II into her newest book.

"She's somebody who I truly respect. I've met her twice, extremely intelligent kind person, and just to think, 70 years of her life," said Francis. "A truly dedicated person, she was a lady, intelligent, and when I was lieutenant governor, I always watched everything and reviewed about her because I wanted to make sure that I was living up to her standards, in some ways. So, she's a very special person and she's in my heart right now."

This week, it was revealed Francis will be one of the Nova Scotians to receive the Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Over the next few months, the medals will be awarded to 5,000 Nova Scotians in recognition of significant contributions and service to the province.

"One Summer in Whitney Pier" can be purchased online or in book stores now.