What a beautiful book! Celeste Ng's gorgeous writing, along with the timely and meaningful story, make this a must read. Having read and loved her other books, I loved this one, too and can't recommend it highly enough.

You will not forget this book or the characters that live within it.
It imagines the near future in a disturbing way but hopefully will make us work toward social action to prevent this scenario from coming to be.
Birdie, , the 12 year old boy who wins your heart will remain there for a long

I have a lot of respect and admiration for Celeste Ng. She is a talented writer! Unfortunately I didn't like Our Missing Hearts as much as some of her previous works. While I admire the message and what Ng is trying to achieve with this novel, I had trouble accepting that a world could function as it is shown. There were parts that I found hard to believe - even how Bird finds his mother in New York. While the novel is by nature a stretch of the imagination and a dystopian society, I found weaknesses in the society/world as it is depicted. The characters which in Ng's previous novels are convincing and clear are weaker in this novel. The reader doesn't get a clear picture of Bird's father or his mother and what motivates them besides protecting their child. I am happy I read the novel and am still a fan of Celeste Ng, but this one fell short for me.

Stunning! This is my new co-favorite book of the year. Some reviewers are calling this novel dystopian but since it is so close to the edge of our current reality, I can’t give it that label. Yes, it is about the unbreakable love bond between parent and child but it is so much more. When society is gripped by fear, when no one stands up for those who are singled out and persecuted unfairly, when everyone looks the other way and refuses to get involved, we are faced with a creeping horrible reality that our freedoms as a country and as individuals will be lost. This an extremely timely reminder of our responsibilities as human beings and as citizens.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press/Penguin Random House for the ARC to read and review.

I loved everything about Our Missing Hearts except for the fact that it felt a little too easy to get to the world of the story from the world we're currently living in. I though Ng's writing was exquisite and I loved the nuance in the story, especially the importance of words. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. I was particularly struck by the tiny ways we might creep closer and closer to the world of the novel being reality - how we could feel like we're just looking out for our families and not doing anything wrong, how we could just be trying to get along and not cause trouble, how we could be making the world a more dangerous place by trying to protect our corner of it.

This was an extremely moving dystopian book. Wow this packed a punch. It’s set in a not so unrealistic world. It’s a book that really makes you ponder the world you live in and what role you want to play in it. The writing is so gorgeous. The only thing I didn’t like about it was no quotation marks. For the love of please authors stop doing this. It’s sooo distracting.

Celeste Ng never disappoints. Her newest release, Our Missing Hearts, is a look into how communities deal with (or don't deal with) injustices occurring right in their back door. Timely, thought-provoking, and beautifully written, I recommend this book to anyone wishing to explore ways we can do better as a society.

I have loved Celeste Ng’s previous works so was delighted to read her newest, Our Missing Hearts. I went into this novel without reading the publisher’s blurb, so I knew absolutely nothing about it other than that I love the author. And that was enough.

Here’s all you really need to know: Bird is 12 years old and lives in an America of the near future, where the PACT act has taken hold to “preserve American culture and traditions.” Books that are un-American, unpatriotic or dangerous are banned. Children are torn from their families if their parents are deemed unfit. And China (and Chinese-Americans) are blamed for the country’s economic crisis. Bird lives with his dad and his mom has been gone for years, but one day, a mysterious letter arrives and Bird sets off on a quest to find his mom and the truth.

I loved this book so much. The writing is beautiful, there’s an underground network of badass librarians (my favorite!) and it’s really a story about the deep love between a mother and a son. As someone who sees the realities of book banning on a daily basis, this book was a scary preview of where our country could be headed. It’s terrifying because it could really happen.

Our Missing Hearts is unputdownable. I started it on my kindle, then switched to audio because I didn’t want to stop reading, and then finished it on my kindle. The audio is excellent but it’s worth reading in any format.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. My second book by Ng and I think I’m just not a fan of her writing. While this book had some promise, I struggled throughout. I understand what the author was trying to achieve and while I agree with many of the topics covered, I also hate anything political. I also found the characters flat and unappealing. And… it’s only a matter of time before this one lands in the banned books pile.

Too close for comfort? Ng’s latest book, “Our Missing Hearts” is a dystopian tale that may be too close to some realities of our times. Society undergoes a major ‘crisis’ and this time Chinese Americans become primary scapegoats. There’s book pulping (they’re too civilized to burn books), disregarding facts, neighbors ‘telling’ on other neighbors, and general controlling of information. Young Noah Gardner, also known as ‘Bird,’ lives with his father since his Chinese American mother disappeared after her poetry is questioned. Their society is controlled by PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act). Children of individuals not adhering to the norm can suddenly ‘disappear’ into the foster care system and become impossible to trace. Bird starts raising questions and so begins his journey of growth and discovery. It’s impossible to read this book and not think of some things happening right now. But maybe there’s a bit of hope too as there will, hopefully, always be seekers and supporters as there are in Ng’s book. As a librarian, I loved the role libraries and librarians played in this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press for an Advanced Readers copy of this amazing book. The opinions expressed in this book are entirely my own.

4.5. As I was reading I kept thinking “this is the future Republicans want.” So resonant with our current culture that distrusts and attacks books and information and people whose differences we’ve decided are wrong.

This book covered many themes all of which keep me interested until the very end. Being a librarian I enjoyed the parts about what librarians do to circumvent the system, we are always thinking outside the lines in order to fulfill our patrons request.

This is my first book by Celeste Ng, and I have to say that I found the writing to be outstanding. I adore this type of writing, where you can actually say the difference between the two narrators we find in the story, but also where you can get to know their hearts and their minds so well. It hooked me from the very beginning because of how fast-paced and well developed this book is. You always want to know more, you get nervous for the things about to happen, and you can easily keep reading and not think twice about how much you are reading because you just forget. That shows how easily this book holds you and pulls you into the story.

Bird as a character is impressive. He's a child, yes, but he has already been through a lot, and I felt a hollow in my heart, to see a child having to face all the cruelty this world had, it was a lot. It was scary. The rest of the characters get more development while we go deeper into the story, and I swear each of them got a piece of my heart.

This is a book with a message, with a lot of criticism about racism and the way the world treats a group of people just because it's told to do so. There are some clear real-life references in this story that can be triggering, so please check the trigger warning before reading it!
It also has a developing of the idea of parenthood in many ways, through the good and bad, and that's a great perspective to read. You know these words were made with the heart, and it makes the story so beautiful.

The ending was missing something for me, but that didn't make this book any less impactful than it was. I loved it and deeply recommend it.

Our Missing Hearts is the newest release by Celeste Ng. This book is a departure from her previous two books in that it's set in the future in a semi-dystopian world. America is recovering from the Crisis and as a result many people have disappeared or had their lives changed drastically. Families are being separated and neighbors are encouraged to be hyper-vigilant of their neighbors and to report any infractions. All of this causes some pretty intense situations that Ng deftly explores. Read and enjoy!

Thank you Penguin Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Our Missing Hearts. I have been a fan of Celeste's books since reading Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You. The fact that one of the character works in a library is a huge bonus too. I love that Bird's mother told him stories and was a writer. This story is woven fatanstically and kept me guessing throughout. The story is told in three parts. The power of words hits home in this amazing novel!

Book bans, discrimination against Asians, a national Crisis that nearly broke the country — the dystopian America in Our Missing Hearts, the latest novel from Little Fires Everywhere author Celeste Ng, is all too similar to the America we’re living in now.

In Our Missing Hearts’ dystopian version of America, the country is still reeling from a recent, unspecified economic catastrophe known as The Crisis. There was no one specific cause, but once people noticed that countries like China, Korea and Japan saw a rise in GDP while America’s economy continued to decline, this kicked off a new wave of anti-Asian hatred and a rise in patriotism from “true Americans.” The Crisis finally ended when the president signed the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act (PACT), which focused on finding seditious Persons of Asian Origin (PAOs). Eventually, if people weren’t considered patriotic enough or anti-Asian enough, they were investigated. Any Asian authors deemed unpatriotic were canceled, their works banned. Soon, in an echo of generations past, the government started forcibly removing the children of people it deemed traitorous.

And that is where Ng begins her story—not with the blueprint for an alternate reality for America, but with a child trying to make sense of why his mother left. 12-year-old Bird, half Asian, half white, lives with his librarian father in a Harvard dorm tucked away from the world. They moved there shortly after Bird’s mother, Margaret, up and left without saying why. Margaret was a poet whose words became a rallying cry after a woman died at an anti-PACT protest holding a copy of her book. Bird has heard she was a traitor and a PAO sympathizer. But when he receives a coded letter in the mail one day, he knows it’s from his mom. He sets out to find her, and then he learns his mother’s side of the events that led to her leaving the family.

REad more at https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/book-review-our-missing-hearts-celeste-ng/

“Your mom is a traitor.”

4.5 stars

Our Missing Hearts is a powerful, dystopian novel about love, loss, and the power of a mother’s love.

12-year-old Bird’s life changed when his mother left three years ago. He now lives with his father, a former professor turned librarian, in a dorm. They live a quiet, compliant life as they have no choice as they live in an America where books are banned, cultural and historical-themed internet searches are blocked, people of Asian descent are targeted, and children are forcefully separated from their unpatriotic parents.

When Bird receives a mysterious letter from his mother, he goes on a journey to find her and, in doing so, faces a new America he wasn’t prepared to see.

Told in three parts, the narrative belongs to Bird. He is a compelling character, and his growth throughout is subtle. However, there are also chapters from his mother Margaret’s point of view. Her final act left me in tears.

With an emphasis on libraries, books, poetry, and storytelling, Ng explores the power of words, shared stories, the voices on the margins, and, most significantly, those who have been silenced.

The title holds special meaning.

This is an emotional, beautifully written story exploring complex and timely issues. It is also chilling, as, in many ways, it hits too close to reality.

“What happens now is a choice.”

TW: violence, with one particular scene involivng a dog.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.

“Instead of silence, she chose fire.”
“Over the years her words repeated this cycle -resurrection in the darkness, death at first light- until eventually their lives were inscribed in flame.”

In an all too real dystopian near future, the US has been transformed by “The Crisis”. Resurrected only through scapegoating blame and the PACT. For the past 10 years everyone has lived according to legislation designed to Protect American Culture and Traditions. Bird's Chinese American mother and famous poet has disappeared, leaving Bird and his father behind. Her loss is a hole that no amount of grief or curiosity can fill. Until Bird begins to follow an impossible, improbable trail.

Oh my the warmth, the ache, the beautiful writing. A book to be read and discussed. A great #BookClub title that explores the full extent of a mother’s love for her son: tragic, heartbreaking, and hopeful. @pronounced_ing has crafted a love letter to language, to books and the power stories have in our lives. A heart swelling depiction of #librarians, a secret network of hidden gems. Our Missing Hearts offers a brilliant conversation about family and connection; about the community we embrace and the one we willfully ignore. Raw commentary on our lived experience and eerily relatable version of possible outcomes. #Read this #book with friends. You will want to discuss so much of what is vital and relevant about this story. So glad to see this being featured @ReesesBookClub . #OurMissingHearts deserves as much attention as it can possibly get. Out now. Thanks @netgalley for the opportunity to preview this title.

Absolutely blown away by the latest novel by Celeste Ng -- which celebrated its PUB DAY yesterday!

OUR MISSING HEARTS tells the story of a young son, Bird, and his mother. It's set in a dystopian society that honestly doesn't feel so far off or distant from our own...

As Ng explains, "Bird and Margaret's world isn't exactly our world, but isn't not ours, either." A world where children are removed from homes, anti-Asian hate crimes, violent protests, police brutality, and overpowering leadership -- but within all of these heavy topics, comes a moving and lyrical story about unbreakable family bonds, the power of storytelling, and the importance of standing up for the next generation.

This definitely is a thought-provoking read that will leave you wanted to talk about with others -- which is why I am not surprised to see that it's ReesesBookClub October pick.

If you enjoyed Ng's other books, or Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Jessamine Chain's A School for Good Mothers, this one is for you!

THANK YOU Penguin Press for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review! This book is out NOW :)

Not surprised ONE BIT that this was a Reese’s book club pick! This book is worth all of the hype. Unsurprisingly has a HUGE wait at our library already!

Holy cow, can she write. It’s dark, but not in the way you’d think. It’s nothing like her previous works, but oh how she made it her own!!

It’s literary, it’s historical, and it’s real. She clearly knows what she’s talking about. This book is going to stick with me for a long time.