Our Missing Hearts: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

Written by Celeste Ng

Narrated by Celeste Ng and Lucy Liu

An instant New York Times bestseller • A New York Times Notable Book • Named a Best Book of the Year by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more • A Reese's Book Club Pick • New York Times Paperback Row Selection

“Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching . . . I was so invested in the future of this mother and son.” —Reese Witherspoon

“Riveting, tender, and timely.” —People

"Remarkable . . . An unflinching yet life-affirming drama about the power of art and love to push back in dangerous times." —Oprah Daily

From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unshakeable love.

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. 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.

Then one day Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. 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 learn the truth about what happened to his mother and what the future holds for them both.

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children and the power of art to create change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9780593629628

Celeste Ng

Celeste Ng is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Ng is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and her work has been published in over thirty languages.

Reviews for Our Missing Hearts

[eesti23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"It happened so slowly that you might not even notice it at all, like the sky turning from dusk to dark."

Our Missing Hearts really impacted me. The fact that it is labelled as dystopian, but would feels like it could/is fitting in with the current political climate, was quite shocking. I liked how Bird's life, set in the present, weaved in the past, and then caught up with the "future". His mother's act of telling Bird's story and those of many of the taken children brought tears to my eyes.

[susannelson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An intense, powerful book but terrifying in which book bannings, child separations,and discrimination run rampant to protect values and traditions of your culture spurred on by rampant fear, hate and ignorance.

[threadnsong · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was absolutely a 5 star read for me, despite the difficult subject matter and need to put it down half-way through. It's intense, and there are moments of violence that may be triggers for readers.

The story is told mostly from the point of view of young Bird, now known as Noah, who is 12 and who lives with his father in a student college dormitory. His father shelves books at the college library, and Bird's/Noah's mother has not been part of their lives for about three years. It is during encounters at a pizza place, and recollections of a school friend, that we the reader learn of the PACT act and violent anti-Asian sentiment in the US.

At about the half-way point, we meet Bird's mother, daughter of Chinese immigrants, and learn how this violent campaign against not just Asians but also protesting the government and banning books began. How inflation and a loss of jobs led to picking one group to blame, with scrutiny of library shelves for subversive books being just one of the results. This latter is important because Margaret, Bird's mother, wrote a book of poetry that is one of the books removed from library shelves.

There is also the PACT Act, a law enacted during the Crisis, that allows the government to remove any children from any household deemed too "radical" for the child to stay. Spying on one's neighbors is encouraged, and signs are posted in windows of houses and shops both with messages that sound eerily similar to the slogans from "1984" by George Orwell.

How Bird copes with his loss, how his mother copes with her loss, and how millions of Americans are affected by the chaos of a few difficult years makes this a timely and prescient book.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dystopian novel that seems scarily possible.

[bblum_10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Autocracy has changed the political landscape of the United States. Asians and immigrants are suspicious and shunned. The location of novel is New York State and Bird is a mixed race Asian who doesn’t fit in at school. Bright and wary his only friend is Sophia.

[smashbasile · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was good, I didn't give it 4 stars because Part 2 was harder to enjoy. However, as a whole, I found the story moving and dramatic. I found myself wanting to know MORE about the characters and the world itself.

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our Missing Hearts is a dystopian novel that draws upon the actions of historic authoritarian governments and current events. Set in the United States in the near future after a global cataclysm called the "Crisis" that leads to the enactment of PACT (The Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act). The gist of this act is holding China responsible for the Crisis and legalized discrimination against Chinese-Americans (and other East Asians), including separation of families.

The novel is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Noah Gardener, known by the nickname "Bird," a child raised by his white father Ethan in Cambridge, after his Chinese-American mother Margaret goes missing. The novel begins with Bird receiving a letter from Margaret. This prompts him to learning more about his mother's artist/activist activities and ultimately take a bus to New York City to seek her out in person. Along the way he finds help from the staff of libraries that have been stripped of most of their books.

This is a difficult time to read about a dystopian America, especially when all the elements of PACT already exist in our time in one way or another. But Ng also reminds us of the power of hope expressed through Margaret's protests through art.

[suesbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the writng in this book more than I liked the content. this dystopian novel was very frightening and showed how easy it is for dictators to rule. it was upsetting to read this at this time in this state, country, and world. The first part was very interesting, but much of the second and third parts of the book were tedious. the ending came so quickly and unfortunately, was much too uncertain itself. it's fine that i read this book, but it is the least favorite of ng's books that i've read. i was personally pleased that librarians were portrayed as saviors, as so often that is true.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book on CD narrated by Lucy Liu


From the book jacket: Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet left the family when he was nine years old. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her.

My reaction
This was uncomfortably plausible. Ng holds a magnifying glass to current and past events and predicts the likely outcome, especially if the silent majority remains silent and complacent when “it doesn’t effect US.”

Bird is a wonderful character. He’s smart and observant. The political climate in which he lives has resulted in a kind of maturity beyond his years. My heart bleeds for his father, who, to protect his child, must hold everything he knows inside – never sharing, never discussing, never searching for answers.

I loved the network of librarians who were used to thwart the “powers that be.” The story lost a little momentum in the second part, when Ng explored Margaret’s story, but it picked up again in part three. There were times when my heart was in my throat. I can hardly wait for my book club meeting to discuss!

The audiobook is narrated by Lucy Liu, who does a fine job of it. She sets a good pace and I was never confused about who was speaking.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book that imagines a future that is dystopian but, frighteningly, all too easy to see coming about. Let's hope it remains fiction, not fortune telling.

Noah is 12 years old when the book opens. He lives with his father, Ethan, on a college campus in Cambridge Massachusetts. Noah prefers to be called Bird but after his mother, Margaret, left the family home when Noah was eight, no-one calls him Bird. Because Margaret is viewed as a traitor, Ethan who was a professor was demoted to being a librarian when Margaret vanished. Ethan is a man who loves words and books but fewer and fewer books are kept on the shelves of libraries. PACT (Preserving American Cultures and Traditions) is a bill passed by the American government that has become increasingly totalitarian. Dissent is not tolerated, children can be taken from parents for little reason, books are deemed unacceptable for a variety of reasons and people of Chinese (or any Eastern ethnicity) origin are openly discriminated against. Margaret was a Chinese-American and Bird has Oriental features so Ethan is always warning Bird to look down and not draw attention to himself. They haven't heard from Margaret since she left and Bird doesn't know if she is even alive. He tries to remember her by telling himself the stories and fables that she used to tell him. Margaret was the author of a book of poetry called Our Missing Hearts but there are no copies left anywhere. Then Bird gets a message from Margaret which invites him to come to New York City to see her. It's a long journey for a young boy but he decides to do it. In New York he is reunited with Margaret through the auspices of her friend, the Duchess. Margaret continues the story-telling but this time it is the story of her life. Margaret's book has been used as a rallying call for people protesting their children being apprehended and she has spent the last four years learning the stories of people whose children were taken. Now she plans to disseminate those stories in a very public way. When she finishes that she hopes to go back to being Bird's mom but is that a dream?

In this book, librarians are heroes of the resistance, passing along information, and people. Librarians are always my heroes.

[livelylady · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A boy whose mother left the family seeks to find her when he is 12. She is a controversial Asian poet who protests children of Asians being taken from their parents. I can't decide if this ever really happened or not.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the timeless tradition of The Handmaid's Tale and Fahrenheit 451, Ng tackles a dystopian future that is woven tightly with reality. The country has made it through a crisis, but the PACT legislation that resulted from a place a fear has only increased prejudice and suspicion of Asian Americans. It's not much of a leap to believe this could happen, which is what makes the story so powerful. She focuses on the families whose children are ripped away from them in order to "protect" them from sedition indoctrination. Ng has been hit of miss for me in the past. I enjoy her books, but never before have I felt rocked by the quiet emotion this one held. It's a dark future, but one that is based in past actions of both this country and others. When we silence those who are willing to question authority, we are no longer free.

“If we fear something, it is all the more imperative we study it thoroughly.”

“Librarians, of all people, understood the value of knowing, even if that information could not yet be used.”

“Maybe, she thinks, this is simply what living is: an infinite list of transgressions that did not weigh against the joys but that simply overlaid them, the two lists mingling and merging, all the small moments that made up the mosaic of a person, a relationship, a life.”

[iira_24 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have always loved Celeste Ng, so I had high expectations. I'm not sure if they were met all the way, but I still enjoyed this melancholic story.

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The library where I work chose this for their "one book" this year. One of the more depressing books I've read in the past 12 months. Maybe because I live in the area it's even easier to imagine, and maybe because it seems plausible in this election year. In an America post "crisis," Asian Americans are the out group, because people associate them with China, the major bad player. Not only are Asians the out group, but anyone not deemed patriotic enough can have their children removed! That is a really scary prospect, since if you disagree with the government, you will be deemed unpatriotic.

The book was okay for me; not as good as Little Fires, but thought-provoking.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First, I do not like fantasy and this book, Our Missing Hearts, presents a bleak picture of the future. The book reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm. The story centers on Noah nicknamed Bird and his quest to be reunited with his mother, Margaret Mui, a poet and freedom fighter. PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions) controls all aspects of life, like Big Brother watching over every citizen. Any infringement and PACT jumps into the equation and quickly smothers the rebellion. This novel alarmingly shows America in this distasteful mode. The story frightens an individual into apathy and depression.

[jonimfisher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written depiction of America as a socialist country with the federal government granted full control over our lives. Depressing story which reminded me of the way Jews were isolated, then robbed and beaten, and killed in the name of progress in Germany. Jews then were hard-working, took responsibility for their lives, and successful. In Ng's new world order, the scapegoat for all evils is placed on Asians and anyone who appears Asian. Reading Our Missing Hearts felt like a preview of things already in lined up in America. Anyone who works hard and plans for the future will have it ripped from them and distributed by the government.
Like George Orwell's predictions, Ng's may also fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.
In America today, Asians and Caucasians are being blamed for every ill in society, past and present.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The U.S. in the near future. It has become a fascist and nativist country, and after a monster Depression called the Crisis, the people live under a draconian law which seeks to "preserve American culture and traditions." A young boy's mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, has disappeared. Because of their marriage, her husband has been demoted from a professorship to shelving books in his university library. The boy, Bird, goes in search of his mother and finds her in NYC. Librarians all over the country clandestinely try to reunite families whose children have been ripped from them and sent elsewhere because of "anti-American influences." There is terrible prejudice against all Orientals, because of the positive way China is economically. In her small way, Margaret fights back against the government. Maybe this rebellion is the start of a positive movement. This was a thinking person's novel, some episodes similar to what has gone on recently.

[srms.reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5⭐

“Once upon a time, there was a boy. Once upon a time there was a mother. Once upon a time, there was a boy, and his mother loved him very much.”

It has been over ten years since the “Crisis” - a period of economic decline - failing businesses, unemployment, poverty and lawlessness - a period of chaos that was attributed to being the result of the manipulations of an Asian country that was thriving during the same period. In the interest of boosting the economy and preserving American culture, PACT -“The Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act”- has been passed allowing for reporting and arrest of those perceived to be “anti –American” and children from families perceived to be guilty of the same have been relocated to state-approved homes and foster families. Books viewed as teaching un-American values have been removed from schools and libraries (destroyed and pulped, recycled into toilet paper as opposed to being burnt!- “Much more civilized, right?”), certain websites have been blocked, web searches are censored and hate crimes are on the rise.

It has been three years since twelve-year-old Noah “Bird” Gardner has seen his mother, well-known poet Chinese-American poet Margaret Miu. Over the last three years Noah and his father Ethan, former faculty in Linguistics and currently employed in the University Library, have kept their head down, avoiding attention and dissociating themselves from Margaret, whose lines from her books of poems “Our The Missing Hearts “ was adopted by anti –PACT activists as their slogan, branding her a “traitor” in the eyes of the authorities. Given the intense Anti-Asian sentiment and discrimination and increasing incidents of violence directed toward East Asians, Bird, who is biracial, is encouraged by his father to hide his Asian roots. When Bird receives a letter with drawings reminiscent of the folktales his mother used to tell him, he embarks on a search for his missing mother- a journey that provides him not only with a greater understanding of his mother and her life as well as insight into the reasons behind his mother’s disappearance but also gives him an honest unfiltered perspective on the reality of the world around him. Needless to say, Bird’s journey as he struggles with his feelings about his mother –his hurt and longing for her gradually evolves into a deeper understanding of his parents’ love for him and a shift in his worldview - is a difficult and emotional one.

Poignant, heartbreaking, disturbing and thought-provoking, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a beautifully –written, powerful and timely novel that revolves around themes of family, love, sacrifice and racially motivated injustice. I finished reading this book two days ago and it’s taken me this long to gather my thoughts and pen a coherent review. This is not an easy book to read and even more difficult to review. The author paints a dark and dystopian picture of a nation where discrimination, racism and injustice are justified in the name of preservation of economic stability, culture and values. Families have been torn apart, innocent children have been forcibly taken from their homes and those working to change the narrative , build awareness and reunite families with their “missing hearts” are constantly putting their lives on the line - activists who openly protest and those who are covertly networking to trace those who been lost. The larger part of the narrative is shared from Bird’s perspective, though we do get to hear the voices of other characters as well. Unfortunately, unlike many dystopian novels, much about this book feels a bit too real at times. The author draws inspiration from past and current events which she discusses in a brilliantly penned Author’s Note. This story left me with a heavy heart.

“When are you ever done with the story of someone you love? You turn the most precious of your memories over and over, wearing their edges smooth, warming them again with your heat. You touch the curves and hollows of every detail you have, memorizing them, reciting them once more though you already know them in your bones. Who ever thinks, recalling the face of the one they loved who is gone: yes, I looked at you enough, I loved you enough, we had enough time, any of this was enough?”

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Set in a near future dystopian America, this novel opens with a focus on 12 year old Bird. Three years previously, his mother had left, and although he and his father love each other, his father insists that Bird must forget his mother, who was considered a political subversive. Under the PACT act (Like our own Patriot Act??), the government can remove any child from a home in which the parents are politically suspect ("crisis children"). Bird's father believes that only by totally renouncing Bird's mother will Bird escape removal from his father's custody.

Then one day Bird receives a letter--actually a page of drawings of cats, which he knows is a message from his mother. He feels compelled to run away in search of his mother.

While the first part of the novel was narrated from Bird's pov, most of the second part consists of Bird's mother telling Bird what she has experienced since she left him. As such, it is a lot of "telling," not "showing," and I never felt I was getting into the story. It was rather distancing, as if we were getting the story from some far off third party who might have heard about it, but didn't really experience it. I found it excruciatingly boring. Many of the reviews on Amazon agree with this opinion: "Ng fails to sustain the mother's voice," and point out that it reads like an essay, not a mother talking to her son.

In addition, Ng failed to create a cohesive and "real" future dystopian world. For example, if anything untoward happens, dozens of police are there instantly, yet it seems relatively easy to yarn bomb a bunch of trees and paint a street, and no one notices.

So, overall, very disappointing.

1 1/2 stars

[baochuan-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story left a profound imprint on me even though there is no real ending. I can related to the controlled media/politics in a dystopia land that is very similar to Handmaid's tale, and any other dystopia society.

[lindaloretz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book's "heart," which is missing, is a futuristic American law called PACT, Preserving American Culture and Traditions. It is dubbed a solemn promise to root out any anti-American elements undermining the nation. Some see the law as anti-Asian, but many consider it essential to preserve the country. PACT mandates that schools must ensure that children do not learn bad ideas. Libraries are strictly controlled and must destroy books that proliferate undesirable concepts. Part of the title's significance derives from a poem titled "All Our Missing Hearts," written by Margaret Mu, a Chinese-American woman. Although Margaret did not have subversive intent when publishing the poem, she is forced into hiding since too many people are suspicious of her motives and view her as dangerous.

Noah Gardner, a twelve-year-old Chinese-American son of Margaret, is on a quest to find his mother. He conducts some research and realizes there is a network of librarians who preserve some of the banned books and act as liaisons between children and parents who are "in hiding." The novel's plot follows his adventures as he journeys to find his mother. His world and his encounters are scary and dystopian. So much of the world Celeste Ng created in this story relates scarily to recent and current events in the USA. It was disconcerting to read about her plausible extrapolations.

[mcelhra · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Our Missing Hearts, the United States government has convinced the public that all of America’s problems are China’s fault. Asian Americans of all descent are routinely harassed and assaulted, just like Muslims (or anyone who looked Muslim) were harassed and assaulted after 9/11. The government has passed a law called PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act). Anyone found in violation of that act, which is basically doing or saying anything that could be construed as anti-government, can have their children removed from their home permanently. Asians are especially under scrutiny for violations.

Bird, a twelve-year-old boy with an Asian mother and a white father, hasn’t seen his mother in years. Bird isn’t sure why and his dad says they just need to forget all about her. But Bird is on a quest to find her and find out why she left.

I know that I’m in the minority here but I was a little disappointed with Our Missing Hearts. I loved Ng’s previous two books and I was hoping to love this one too. I found the pacing to be too slow for a dystopian novel. I also wanted the ending to pack more of a punch. I did appreciate the social commentary – sometimes it seems like we’re not too far from enacting PACT in real life.

This was my book club’s pick for May and we all pretty much felt the same way about it. But from looking at the reviews online, we are the only ones in the world who didn’t love it. You should probably read it and make up your own mind.

[tinkerbellkk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a disturbing look at racism against Asian people and showed a dystopian society where free speech, thoughts or actions were eliminated. The scary part is that in this day and age it seems this isn't completely improbable. The main character a young boy named Bird, looks for his estranged mother who is Asian and has left to protect him. Interesting concept but I wasn't completely engaged the entire time. Very different from the author's other books.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A futuristic novel when American society has been purged of Asian influence as un-American. The primary character is a mixed race boy (Bird) whose mom is Asian and dad is Caucasian. Mom is on the run because her poetry is considered subversive and a threat to the state. Bird is being raised by his dad who is considered OK. Over time Bird researches mom's poetry and eventually he is able to reconnect with mom. The novel hearkens to "The Handmaid's Tale" and a repressive state.

[kayanelson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Our Missing Hearts was a little disappointing for me compared to Little Fires Everywhere. Ng addresses the racism against the Chinese (as a result of the Crisis vs Covid) amd separating children from parents as a result of PACT vs any of the other of multitude of reasons and circumstances that have separated children in our history and current times. These are both valid and important issues but the execution of the story was boring to me. The book is separated into three parts. Part one is from the child Bird’s, point of view. Bird’s mother left him and his father so that Bird wouldn’t be taken away from both of them. Bird’s mother had written a poem which became the motto of the PACT resistance movement. But no one tells Bird anything and this part of the book struggles to tell us what is going on in Bird’s mind. In part two bird finds his mother and she tells her story and how it led her to be this wanted person. Part three is the culmination of Bird’s mom plan and by this point I the book I didn’t care what it was.

[katherinegregg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Our Missing Hearts is set in a dystopian USA where Chinese sympathizers are punished, and children are removed from homes deemed dangerous by the repressive government. The "crisis", a worldwide economic downfall, happened ten years prior. Bird, a 12 year old boy, sets out to find his Chinese mother who left him and his father many years ago.

[suedutton_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

beautifully written like all of ng's work, but not my favorite of hers

[kcshankd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story of our times, in a country not much different from our present. The slow-going opening as we follow the shuffling dad and boy, nearly lost me. The second half of the book picked up, after Bird is reunited with his mother.

Who reacted 'better', shuffling Ethan or fluttering Margaret? We can only hope our country turns away from this path, but it sure hits close to home.

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What makes this book so unsettling is that it is not completely out of the realm of possibility for this situation to happen, given the state of world affairs.

This book reminds me of the debt we owe to those who risk everything to stand up to regimes who use the removal of children to exert political control. It is a reminder too of the importance of knowing the stories of the lives of the real children that this has happened to – and continues to happen to.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Celeste Ng has written another powerful book. This time it is about what happens when fear overtakes our senses, and people unite against a race, against literature, against protests.
In this world, PACT, Preserving American Culture and Traditions has become the law, and anyone who shows any anti-American tendencies will be removed, or their children will be removed.
Bird, a young boy, lives with his dad, Ethan. His mother has been gone for 3 years. But, Bird receives a note from her, with cats on it. Bird takes this as a sign, and begins to search for clues to lead him to his mother.
A frightening tale that isn't too far off from reality. Asian American hate, and children being separated from families is happening right now.