Staff Pick: Our Missing Hearts
In Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng crafts a haunting dystopian world that feels eerily familiar and unsettlingly close to our own reality. Set in an America devastated by economic collapse, the novel follows Bird, a 12-year-old boy living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his father. Once a linguistics professor, Bird’s father now shelves books at the university library. Bird’s mother, a Chinese American poet, disappeared when he was nine, leaving behind a legacy of silence—he is taught never to speak of her, never to seek her out, and never to engage with her work.
The backdrop to Bird’s life is a nation in turmoil. The Crisis, a global economic disaster, has bred resentment and fear, and much of the anger is directed at the Chinese American community. Anti-Asian sentiment runs rampant, leading to harassment, discrimination, and, tragically, death. In response, the government enacts the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act (PACT), a policy designed to “protect” America by separating children from parents deemed politically or culturally subversive. Additionally, libraries purge “unpatriotic” books, including those written by Bird’s mother.
Under this unjust regime, many people do everything they can to stay out of the spotlight, focusing on showing their patriotism no matter the cost. But Bird is different. He yearns to understand what happened to his mother and why her work—particularly her poem, Our Missing Hearts—was silenced. When PACT protesters use the title of her poem as a rallying cry, Bird feels a strong, undeniable pull. A mysterious lead sends him to New York, where his journey to uncover the truth of his mother’s disappearance opens his eyes to the state of the nation.
Our Missing Hearts is a powerful reflection on the nature of injustice and the fragility of community. Ng explores themes of power, censorship, racism, and survival, while also examining how we communicate and preserve our identities in times of repression. The novel also highlights the quiet heroism of librarians—unsung figures who play a crucial role in safeguarding knowledge and freedom.
As a mother, I was profoundly touched by the story. Ng beautifully portrays the vulnerability of parents willing to do anything to protect their children. This book will resonate with anyone who feels the powerful instinct to safeguard loved ones, especially in a world that often seems to be falling apart.
- Name
- Lauren Striebel
- Job Title
- Communications and Events Manager