Cover Image: Our Missing Hearts

Our Missing Hearts

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Member Reviews

I felt really sad about the situation for this little man. I can not immagine this really. I had this book on audio and kindle so it was my fave combination but still the dystopian world is not what I could immagine this time. I was really hooked at the beggining and felt everything about this crazy situation so terrible that hurt still now. What a human nature can do..

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP The Penguin Press, Penguin Press for my kindle arc copy and Libro.fm for the audio copy.

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Ng’s latest work is dystopian. However given However, given what we’ve experienced over the past couple of years with the corona virus, it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. The story is narrated by Bird, a 12 year old boy living in Cambridge with his father. His mother,, Margaret,,a poet, disappeared 3 years earlier. Following the “Crisis”, new restrictive legislation is enacted in the US.. “PACT: Preserving American Culture and Traditions. A solemn promise to root out any anti-American elements undermining the nation. (P.185) ….” This means anti-Chinese racism, extreme censorship and removing children from parents who are patriotic in the prescribed ways. One of Margaret’s poems becomes the motto of the protestors, so she is forced to disappear, or Bird may be taken from the family.. Bird receives a cryptic message from Margaret and runs away to NY where he finds her and learns her story. She is collecting information on missing children hoping they will eventually be reunited with their parents. Librarians play a starring role in the network. Good story, a little slow in some parts.

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I'm a huge fan of Celeste Ng and this book was no exception. It was a definite departure from her previous realistic fiction genres, moving into dystopian science fiction, but all of the wonderful character development and creative plot elements that I have loved in her previous books are easily found in Our Missing Hearts as well.

The book follows 12 year old, Bird, as he navigates a world in which a focus on American patriotism has become the driving force behind all existence and anyone who stands in the way has become a problem. Bird's mother has left the family, presumably because she was working with the resistance, possibly because she was Chinese, a group who have become perceived as threatening to "American ideals" and thus villainized. A huge aspect of the story is that children of citizens who are known to be working or speaking against the laws that mandate the levels of patriotism required are removed from their homes and parents and placed with other families.

I loved Bird, his parents, and the network of librarians doing secret good work in this story. It is hard to compare this book to other works by Ng, but it was a fantastic read for me nonetheless.

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This was not at all what I expected from Ng, but I loved it. I assumed it’d be another realistic family drama. The dystopia threw me at first, but it was such a bleak setting for this story. Ng nailed it. Once again I was filled with conflicted emotions for the parents in this story.

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This book took me awhile to finish, I think because it was so hard for me to step into a universe that felt eerily similar to what we have experienced in recent years and a post-apocalyptical society. It has definite "The Handmaid's Tale" vibes but felt more realistic in its ways of describing how citizens (especially racial minorities) surrender freedoms due a "Crisis" - like the global pandemic we all went through. The author's last novel "Little Fires Everywhere" was another excellent social commentary, and while I didn't feel like this one was as much of a page turner, I think it has a powerful message and I'm glad I read it.

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One of the fun things about reading advanced copies of books is that I know little about them before reading. As a fan of dystopian novels, I was surprised that I was reading one written by Celeste Ng.

Ng’s twist on reality draws on current events and American history, creating a frighteningly plausible world. It’s an America that scapegoats Asian Americans after a societal catastrophic event. Hate crimes against Asian Americans, and the removal of children from families deemed “unpatriotic” are justified in the name of security.

In the story, the boy, Bird searches for his mother. She left him and his father when he was younger. He knows that his questions about her will go unanswered so he tries to piece together why she left with his fragmented memories of her. Eventually, he undertakes a journey searching for the truth. Along the way, he begins to witness the small acts of defiance of people trying to fight back as best they can.

Ng’s book asks, when faced with a world that no longer allows for a voice, how do we find a way to resist?

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I'm in awe of Celeste Ng: Her writing is breathtaking in its beauty, in her ability to find just the right words: Her descriptions of something as simple and familiar as rain can stop me in my tracks, prompting me to reread a paragraph again and again. When it comes to characters' most deeply felt emotions, such as the agony of missing someone they love, she is truly second to none.

This book was, at times, almost unbearably heart-wrenching to read, set in a near-future society that is far too easy to imagine becoming reality if we don't heed cautionary tales like this one. In many ways, it felt like immersing myself in my worst nightmares. But for that reason it's also an important story, one that deserves to be widely read and taken to heart, one that has the capacity to move us to be better, more empathetic and compassionate and less quick to judge. This is a story that is impossible to forget. And thank goodness for that.

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This book’s heart wasn’t missing: it was right there on its sleeve. I thought the first section of the book was interesting and kind of lost the thread (as often happens with audio books) in the middle. Having read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow recently, I had a hard time getting past the naming coincidence of Sadie Green(stein).

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The characters are written with such simplicity, yet depth, that is so relatable to any family. The dystopian, authoritarian society in full display parallels unmistakably to the current social cracks in the United States and the world. The relationship between Bird and his mom is so real and beautiful. Bird is braver than any kid I've ever known.

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Our Missing Hearts is thought provoking and emotional. Set in this future dystopia which has taken the Anti-Asian sentiment and taken it even further than it is today, this book will wrench your heart. Not only in the ways it echoes things we have heard, have always heard, and are in our not too distant memory, but also in the ways it takes calls for 'protection' and disguises racism within. All the ways that concerns of national security turns into the theft of children, the censorship of books, the changes in curriculum.

It's a tale as old as time. We've seen it with Japanese Internement Camps when their loyalty - even those born in America - was called into question. We've seen it with the kidnapping of Indigenous children in efforts to re-educate them. And we are seeing it now with rhetoric in the US with other marginalized communities. So in many ways, the world of Our Missing Hearts feels both dystopian, while also eerily chilling. But Ng delivers a story about how communities, rhetorics, sentiments can change. How quickly someone can become a threat, an Other, on the streets, within our own families.

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Not surprisingly, I enjoyed this searing, smart novel from the author of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE and EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU. Once again Celeste Ng tells a story with meaning, featuring a woman who epitomizes the complexity of life as a spouse and mother, this time under the most intense of circumstances. OUR MISSING HEARTS is a political story in nature, clearly inspired by the rise in (white) nationalism and the Trump presidency. It places readers in a not too distant, dystopian future, that the reader quickly realizes isn't an impossible future given recent events. It made me feel sad but I am glad that I read it.

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Bird Gardner misses his mother. She left the family three years earlier when he was only 9 and since then his father has done whatever was necessary to keep his son safe. America is now a dystopian world where behavior is tightly controlled, books are banned, free thought is not allowed and there is a distrust of anything Asian (especially Chinese). Citizens must show loyalty to the strict rules. Ten years earlier, the country experienced a crisis which was financial, economic and combative. PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act) became the law of the land and Chinese and other Asian groups became targeted as enemies. Since Bird is half Chinese, he is a potential threat, so his father goes to great lengths to protect him. Children of anyone suspected of anti-PACT sentiments can be removed from their parents’ home forever. Bird’s Chinese American mother was a poet. When her poetry became the anthem of rebel groups, she was deemed a traitor and so she fled. But Bird wants to find her and uses clues, like breadcrumbs, to track her down.

This is a world of distrust and narrow-mindedness. Like Orwell’s world of Big Brother, people are fearful of any actions that might appear contrary to PACT. When children are taken from their homes, they are kept ignorant of their family, just as the parents are left clueless about the wellbeing of their children. The book banning is a common step taken by repressive societies. Not only is the anti-Asian sentiment reminiscent of the history of internment camps, but such feelings have risen in our own society in recent years. In fact, a number of the issues sound familiar today.

Ng has created a world not so impossible to imagine. This is unlike her earlier books; a departure for those who expect something familiar. The theme of government overreach, of children stolen, of fear to speak one’s mind, of denied access to literature and thought, of hatred based upon genetics, are all part of this dystopian world. It is a harbinger of what could happen if those proclaiming the need to preserve "culture" is allowed to dictate our world - a scary world indeed.

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Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinions.

I’d like to call this book a modern 1984. This is my first Celeste Ng novel and it sure won’t be the last (Little Fires Everywhere you’re next).

I absolutely loved how Ng tackled the dystopian theme; eerily lifelike and ominously fictional. This is one of those books that you’ll think about long after you’ve read it. It does make you feel like you’re looking into a dark future, asking when and not if things will turn out like that.

Ng has the impeccable ability to build meaning through clever structure of words, her preferred style it seems is a mix between personification and metaphors with a healthy dose of irony.

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This was beautiful. This was breathtaking.
I cannot express enough how much I love Celeste Ng writing is simply exquisite.

I cannot wait for you all to read it!!!

Thank you so much to penguin press for kindly providing me with a free copy of this book.

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What a chilling and powerful dystopian novel!
It's the story of young boy, Bird, who desperately seeks to find his mother, whose work the government and society has deemed unacceptable. The story is terrifying. Ng, once again, captures the terror of the story in her persuasive and cogent prose.
As I was reading this book, what was more frightening than this fictional story is the connection to the reality of today's political climate, warning today's world to take note. The story is heart-wrenching but the words so convincing. This is a book sure to shake up all who read it.

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Set in the dystopian future, Our Missing Hearts is a heartbreaking story about anti-Asian sentiment. Anyone who disagrees with the government may be subject to being tracked or having their kids permanently removed from their household.

The book focuses on Bird, a twelve years old boy, who is looking for his mother. His mother is an Asian American poet whose poem “Our Missing Hearts” helped reunite parents with their separated kids. She fled from the household so Bird and his father could stay together. Bird began to understand the horrible truths about the world he was growing up in.

I enjoyed how the libraries were the safe rooms that quietly helped reunification between the parents and the children that were taken away from the parents by the government. The librarians were the unsung heroes that helped make this happen at their own risk. It made me proud that they risked their lives for the children's sake. I also felt a little troubled reading this book, knowing how close to home this book can be to some readers today. This book demonstrates how it is still a sad reality and something numerous people face today, such as when people blamed Chinese people for the pandemic, separating children from parents at the Mexican border, and unknowingly killing immigrants while transporting them in a closed-off trailer. This book should be on any book club list because I feel like this book would create a lot of interesting discussions. This book is a must-read for any reader!


Thank you to NetGallery and to Penguin Press for giving me a copy of the book.

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4.5! Touching, mysterious, and unsettling - This was a finish-in-one-night kind of book for me. Ng’s writing is just so masterful and her beautiful descriptions of even the smallest moments are like finding the M&Ms in the trail mix.

I hear and see the other valid reviews that highlight the downfalls of this book, but I push back on the idea that this is just another “brick in the dystopian wall”. The seeds of reality which Ng uses to grow her fictional tale are presented so authentically that at times I felt like I was reading a historical fiction set in the future. There are elements of Ng’s fictional American society that are not so fictional, however many in our current society deny they are happening (Asian hate crimes, excessive book banning, injustice within the foster care/adoption system, etc.). This book doesn't present anything new per-say, but instead marries a unique set of fictional elements with chunks of our current reality that results in a very uncomfortable reflection on one of the paths our country could soon be taking.

Are these Ng’s strongest characters? No, but they do tug at your heartstrings all the same. Also, do they have to be? Now I will say Sadie holds a very special place in my heart and so do all the nameless librarians that I do not think got the credit they deserve for their work (per usual) <3

I also wasn’t a fan of the ending; without spoiling anything I will say I think she tried to do something as ambiguous as The Giver or The Handmaid's Tale but it just left me unsatisfied.

All that aside, I truly love this book and recommend it to anyone interested in modern dystopia, teens and adults alike!

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Celeste Ng does it again! Entertainment that is thought provoking. You will able asking yourself the hard questions again. Plus a book where LIBRARIANS are the heroes!

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A prescient vision of our near future down the path of school book bans, and a commentary on family separation that sadly remains as relevant as ever while we wait to hear the Supreme Court's ruling on ICWA regarding native family separations. On top of all this, it's a beautiful tale that takes the time to paint a soft and moving portrait of parenthood. I'll be recommending this one to everyone all winter.

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This was such an anticipated read for me. I absolutely loved Little Fires Everywhere so I was really looking forward to Celeste Ng's next book.

Our Missing Hearts is such a great read. Its is a perfect book club pick. Reese hit it on the head with yet another pick. you can talk about this books for hours and debate the ending and the topics for hours. This book covers a ton of heavy topics and has so much to unpack. It can be quite heavy at times but it has an ambitious ending.

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