However, while Hsieh was certainly a direct participant and the book contains his experiences and memories, this is more than a simple memoir. Taiwan's Early Democracy Movement is a work of history that happens to have been written by a firsthand participant, but that also encompasses a large number of other figures, making the book even more valuable.
雖源於親身參與民主運動的經驗、記憶，但有別於個人回憶錄，《早期台灣民主運動與雷震紀事》一書卻是一本歷史參與者的親筆歷史著作，尤其書中所涉及人物之廣，也讓這本書在斷代書寫上深具價值。