A friend who read the manuscript of No Ordinary American said, as others had, “I love your book.” Later he said, “I’ve read it again, and I love your book still more.” Why do they love the book written by an old lady who remembers the wonderful stories told by her father in the past? Is it because the adventures of a lively young immigrant who came to the USA over a hundred years ago are amazing and unusual? Is it because they call to mind people and places that they have read about or know? Is it perhaps because he said about the memoirs he himself wrote, “If I have said anything negative about anyone, take it out! We all make mistakes”? Can it be that, as one reader said, “This book teaches you how to be successful and happy”? If the latter is true, I am thankful and glad to have set down these stories lived by my father for the readers’ pleasure and unintended instruction. My father was a good man; his fascinating adventures are meant to provide enjoyment. If they offer more than that it will be to the reader’s advantage. They were recorded by myself, his daughter, and include, in part, excerpts from his memoirs. Esther E. Hansen