Ng, Celeste: *1980

Our Missing Hearts, 2022 - Summary

  • "Our Missing Hearts" is a dystopian novel set in a near-future America where oppressive government policies target Asian Americans and other marginalized communities. The story revolves around twelve-year-old Bird Gardner, who lives with his father, Ethan, a former linguistics professor, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The novel's backdrop includes a series of laws known as PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act), which aim to maintain social order but also lead to widespread censorship and discrimination.

    Bird's mother, Margaret Miu, a Chinese American poet, went into hiding three years prior due to her controversial work, which has been labeled unpatriotic. Her poem "All Our Missing Hearts" has become a symbol of resistance against the oppressive regime. Bird embarks on a journey to find his mother after receiving a mysterious letter, leading him to discover hidden truths about his family's past and the broader implications of his mother's activism.

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