(Click on the image above to view our 60-second video)

We’ve just completed a wonderful two-week book tour on the East Coast. It was an honor to see so many friends and family, and to meet people who shared their own stories of searching for ancestral villages and discovering family they never knew they had. In all four states, people were extraordinarily generous with their time and their support.

This video is from the event at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. I met people whose ancestors had come from Rotondella as well as from other parts of Italy. They told me their stories, I told them mine, and somewhere in that exchange, we recognized something in each other.

It reminded me how important it is to get out from behind our screens and engage with our communities. It reminded me that when someone stands in front of you and tells you about a grandmother, a village, a family secret, or a journey home, something changes. You listen differently. You understand differently. You ‘see’ each other.

And that’s what I’ll remember most about this tour.

I’m deeply grateful to the organizers and their teams who welcomed us, to everyone who came, and to those who trusted me with their stories. Thank you.