Bird's mother, Margaret Miu, a Chinese American poet, vanished three years earlier after her work became seen as subversive. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives with his white father, Ethan, a former Harvard language teacher who now shelves books in the university's library.

government begins reassigning custody of children whose parents are accused of being un-American. In the wake of the nativist PACT act (Preserving American and Culture Traditions), a piece of legislation that opposes foreign cultural influences, the U.S.

Ng's remarkable dystopian latest (after Little Fires Everywhere) depicts draconian family separation tactics and a normalizing of violence against Asians and Asian Americans in an alternate present. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both. Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. He doesn’t know what happened to her-only that her books have been banned-and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story!” -Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)

“Riveting, tender, and timely.” - People, Book of the Week “It’s impossible not to be moved.” -Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more įrom the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unbreakable love.

Celeste ng our missing hearts