When I started writing about Chinese American history, I did not plan to give presentations, but fortunately, several community and historical organizations such as Chinese American history museums and activist groups invited me to talk. It was gratifying to see the positive response. At the same time, I was a bit surprised because I discovered I was not telling the audience much that they did not already "know' from their own experiences. I finally realized that much of their enthusiasm was because someone was finally helping tell and record "their" story. After each talk, several people would come up and tell me how applicable my experiences were to their own lives growing up as children of immigrants, irrespective of what part of the country they came from.