When Ava Chin went looking for the father who had abandoned her family, she discovered the rich and complicated legacy of her Chinese immigrant relatives. Her great-great-grandfather helped build the railroad that united America, but his adopted country soon turned against him, legislating the Chinese Exclusion Act. This episode of the Constant Wonder podcast explores how Ava Chin's family continued to thrive in America, despite intense discrimination. As her family history unfolds, we witness Ava Chin lay claim to a past she never knew she had.

Guest: Ava Chin, author of "Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming"

Excerpts from "Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto" used by permission from the BYU Chamber Orchestra