Our Missing Hearts
- Downloads：4939
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-27 02:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Celeste Ng
- ISBN：0593492544
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Paromjit
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Celeste Ng has written what is one of my favourite books this year， a razor sharp examination of an America blind to the chilling horrors， injustice and heartbreak it perpetrates in a near future world that feels all too unsettlingly real。 Young Bird Gardner lives a below the radar existence with his broken father， a former linguist working in the library at Harvard。 Bird knows not to ask too many questions， he must not be noticed， aiming to merge into the background。 For years， since a nightmar Celeste Ng has written what is one of my favourite books this year， a razor sharp examination of an America blind to the chilling horrors， injustice and heartbreak it perpetrates in a near future world that feels all too unsettlingly real。 Young Bird Gardner lives a below the radar existence with his broken father， a former linguist working in the library at Harvard。 Bird knows not to ask too many questions， he must not be noticed， aiming to merge into the background。 For years， since a nightmare crisis， their lives have been governed by PACT， laws written to protect 'American culture'， apparently aiming to preserve stability and restore prosperity。 The government can now remove and relocate children of activists， usually of Asian origin， the internet is far from free and certain content is censored whilst libraries must remove books seen as unpatriotic。 Bird's mother， Margaret， a Chinese American poet， left the family to protect him when he was nine years old。Bird misses his mother， but is unaware of what happened to her， and is unfamiliar with her work， however when he receives a strange letter containing only a cryptic drawing， he bravely embarks on a dangerous mission to find out all he can about Margaret。 This takes in the many folktales she told him as a child， where libraries are part of the resistance， and the lives of children， like Sadie， who have been taken， and the surprising nature of the organised fightback。 We hear Margaret's story and get a picture of how America got here， the powerful rhetoric of rage and hate， the racism， police brutality， a targeted bigotry that led to surveillance and reporting of others， normalising the inequalities that arise and how a mother's love for her child leads to her going on the run。Bird is Margaret's missing heart， but her suffering and that of other Asian Americans and their children are not the only wrongs， American society is losing its heart too in its blindness and cruel inhumanity， a truly heavy price to pay。 Ng writes a beautiful and searing account of a mother's love for her son， art， of abuse of power， race， separation， activism and protest， whilst retaining sparks of hope。 This is a profoundly thought provoking read， disturbingly prescient and sadly carrying strong elements of a truth of what is already happening。 It should be noted that the removal of children from families is far from unknown in our human history。 Cannot recommend this highly enough。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Anjal
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how am i hearing about this only now？？？？ I WILL GOBBLE ANYTHING THAT’S WRITTEN BY CELESTE NG
Jake
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Absolutely masterful。 Simultaneously remarkably readable and astonishingly precise in its prose。 Pretty easily the best new release I've read all year。 Absolutely masterful。 Simultaneously remarkably readable and astonishingly precise in its prose。 Pretty easily the best new release I've read all year。 。。。more
Jen
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"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？"This is a dystopian novel set in a near future where books are banned， China and Asian Americans are demonized， and children are taken from home by the government。 Like her other books， it was beautifully written and sad， but character driven with a very slow plot。 I loved how she incorporated libraries and librarians in the book as "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？"This is a dystopian novel set in a near future where books are banned， China and Asian Americans are demonized， and children are taken from home by the government。 Like her other books， it was beautifully written and sad， but character driven with a very slow plot。 I loved how she incorporated libraries and librarians in the book as safe spaces and brave people - "the brain of a librarian was a capacious place。" 。。。more
Manu
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Hochaktuell und einfach herzzerreißend ehrlich。
Mary
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In a near dystopian future the US is ruled by a set of P。A。C。T。 laws， the purpose of which is to preserve American culture。 Children are removed from loving homes， and poet Margaret Miu has left her husband and son Bird behind in an effort to prevent the govt。 from removing her son from their home。 Margaret’s poem has been chosen as the tag line for those protesting P。A。C。T。 Her books are being burned and she is on the run while Anti- Asian prejudice continues to rise in the dystopian world Ng h In a near dystopian future the US is ruled by a set of P。A。C。T。 laws， the purpose of which is to preserve American culture。 Children are removed from loving homes， and poet Margaret Miu has left her husband and son Bird behind in an effort to prevent the govt。 from removing her son from their home。 Margaret’s poem has been chosen as the tag line for those protesting P。A。C。T。 Her books are being burned and she is on the run while Anti- Asian prejudice continues to rise in the dystopian world Ng has created。 。。。more
Lorri Steinbacher
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Read in prepub。 Due out October 2022。 My first 5 star review of the year。Our Missing Hearts is a story that should be classified as dystopian but is so close to a reality that to call it that would diminish its impact。 Ng has done something wonderful and heartbreaking with her third novel。 She takes a mirror to our society， one that presents reality with just enough distortion to both reflect it and warp it into something unsettling but no less true。The America of Our Missing Hearts is one that Read in prepub。 Due out October 2022。 My first 5 star review of the year。Our Missing Hearts is a story that should be classified as dystopian but is so close to a reality that to call it that would diminish its impact。 Ng has done something wonderful and heartbreaking with her third novel。 She takes a mirror to our society， one that presents reality with just enough distortion to both reflect it and warp it into something unsettling but no less true。The America of Our Missing Hearts is one that has been through a major social and financial crisis， one so bad that people are willing to give up their freedom， bury their humanity， and blame easy targets just to be able to return to “normal” and a government that saw that vulnerability and jumped on it。 In this society children can be taken away from their families simply because their parents are perceived as anti-government， for speaking their minds， for appearing insufficiently anti-Chinese， even for rubbing their neighbor the wrong way if they choose to report you。 Margaret is an American poet of Chinese descent whose small book of poetry， written in the midst of her pregnancy， an ode to nature and motherhood， is taken up by a lone protester who is murdered during a protest against child separation。 Margaret， whose method of getting through post-crisis life is to keep her head down and don’t attract attention， suddenly finds herself as the voice of a protest movement。 “Our Missing Hearts”， a line from one of her poems， is taken up as the new subversive call for acts of protest throughout the country。 In order to save her own son from being removed from his family， Margaret leaves her husband and young son， Bird， behind as she goes on the run。 Bird， missing his mother， and forming a burgeoning awareness that there may be something wrong with the way he’s being taught to live， decides to find her and get answers to his questions。 Bird is Margaret’s missing heart， but he is also the missing heart of a society that values stability and jingoistic freedom over compassion and humanity。 As you follow him on his search for his mother and learn her story， Bird （and others like him） feels like society’s greatest hope。This book is about motherhood， and racial divides， about what words mean and what kind of power they have， about what difference one person can make and at what personal cost。 In this world there are no heroes， there are just poets and librarians and protesters and children trying to make whatever part of this warped society that touches them a little better。Ng describes a meeting between Margaret and the surviving parents of the protester who turned her life upside down。 They are black， she is Asian and they struggle to form a connection。 After a tiny breakthrough， Ng writes that it was， “a small tug at a complicated knot that would take generations to unpick”。 Our Missing Hearts feels like Ng’s tug at that selfsame knot and it makes you feel， at least a little， that the knots that bind us can be loosened， word by word， pick by pick。 。。。more
Cheryl
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Bird's Asian mother left the family years ago and he still misses her。 His mother Margaret is considered a dissident because of the poetry she has written， now considered anti-patriotic。 Bird's father， once a prominent linguist is now relegated to shelving books in the university library where he formerly taught。 Some books that are no longer circulate because they are considered unpatriotic。 He and Bird are even granted the privilege of living and eating on campus。 Children of those considered Bird's Asian mother left the family years ago and he still misses her。 His mother Margaret is considered a dissident because of the poetry she has written， now considered anti-patriotic。 Bird's father， once a prominent linguist is now relegated to shelving books in the university library where he formerly taught。 Some books that are no longer circulate because they are considered unpatriotic。 He and Bird are even granted the privilege of living and eating on campus。 Children of those considered dissident may be relocated， a euphemism for taking them from their parents， and one of Bird's classmates， Sadie， has been taken。 The two become friends but Sadie disappears at the end of other school year， leaving Bird even more lonely than he has been。 Though he is grateful for his father， he wants his mother and when he finds a clue to her whereabouts， follows the leads to find her。 。。。more
Michelle Lopez
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Heartbreaking and timely。 Another soon-to-be classic by Celeste Ng。 Highly recommended for book clubs; there's a lot to unpack and discuss about this novel。 Heartbreaking and timely。 Another soon-to-be classic by Celeste Ng。 Highly recommended for book clubs; there's a lot to unpack and discuss about this novel。 。。。more
emma
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the title。。。relatable
Jenny Chin
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Such a strong voice You broaden my understanding of strength and stresses and injustice
Abby Watson
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A beauty of a book。
Nath Mayes
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A new-age Fahrenheit 51 set in a dystopia that feels uncomfortably familiar， like echoes of reality。 Combined with the mystery of a boy traveling through the riddles his mother left behind when she disappeared， Ng crafts a story that feels expansive yet retains the familial ties that coarse through her previous novels。 Wonderful。
Emily
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One of the best books I've read this summer/year。 How to even describe what this book is about？ Most simply， it's about a boy's journey to find his missing mother。 But it's also so much more than that。 Ng's novel is about family and grief and fear。 It's about privilege and responsibility， and it's about the violence that we do to each other in the name of protection。 It's also about language and poetry and the power of story。 It's about giving in and fighting back， friendship and survival。 The w One of the best books I've read this summer/year。 How to even describe what this book is about？ Most simply， it's about a boy's journey to find his missing mother。 But it's also so much more than that。 Ng's novel is about family and grief and fear。 It's about privilege and responsibility， and it's about the violence that we do to each other in the name of protection。 It's also about language and poetry and the power of story。 It's about giving in and fighting back， friendship and survival。 The writing is gorgeous， the storytelling is engrossing， and the book's themes are accessible and all too timely。 I'd love to see high school students and teachers talking about this one。 。。。more
Karen Reed
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4。5 stars probably。 Although when I can get through a book quickly， without it putting me to sleep， it means it's great！ This book draws obvious parallels to today's American society and the past。 If that bothers you， oh well， that means you should probably read this book！ Great dystopian style novel。 I loved the connection to libraries and the meaning of words。 Even though there were no huge surprises in this one I still couldn't put it down。 Teens will enjoy this one too。 4。5 stars probably。 Although when I can get through a book quickly， without it putting me to sleep， it means it's great！ This book draws obvious parallels to today's American society and the past。 If that bothers you， oh well， that means you should probably read this book！ Great dystopian style novel。 I loved the connection to libraries and the meaning of words。 Even though there were no huge surprises in this one I still couldn't put it down。 Teens will enjoy this one too。 。。。more
Coconut Creek Book Club ❧
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Publication Date: October 2022
K
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I haven't stayed up late on a weeknight in a while because I couldn't put down a book。 Our Missing Hearts made me feel uncomfortable in the way that good literature can do， balanced out by how it also made me feel strangely hopeful near the end of the book。 It's like Celeste Ng put together a stew of the worst headlines from the past 6 years， seasoned it with historical precedents， and served it piping hot。 In the ARC I read （provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opin I haven't stayed up late on a weeknight in a while because I couldn't put down a book。 Our Missing Hearts made me feel uncomfortable in the way that good literature can do， balanced out by how it also made me feel strangely hopeful near the end of the book。 It's like Celeste Ng put together a stew of the worst headlines from the past 6 years， seasoned it with historical precedents， and served it piping hot。 In the ARC I read （provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion）， Ng included a list of books to read， because unfortunately the events in the book are based on real events。 。。。more
Katie
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Received as a Goodreads giveaway。Our Missing Hearts is a powerful story that will make a great choice for book group discussions。 Ng's writing is beautiful， and the love between Bird and his mother is heartbreaking。 Received as a Goodreads giveaway。Our Missing Hearts is a powerful story that will make a great choice for book group discussions。 Ng's writing is beautiful， and the love between Bird and his mother is heartbreaking。 。。。more
Annie Burge
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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC digital edition。Did not finish。 Just could not get into this one。 The plot seemed interesting， but I kept putting this down to read different books instead。 Hope other readers enjoy it！Giving three stars to be fair to the author in the event that it simply wasn’t written for me :）
Sally Anfilogoff
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This novel feels something of a departure for NG， whose previous books I have loved。 This is no exception， It's a real page turner and chillingly prescient， set in the near future。 The story centres around Bird a 9 year old boy who lives with his father in an apartment attached to the University in Cambridge， Mass。 His mother， Margaret has disappeared following fears that if she stayed Bird would be taken from the family。 Bird searches for his mother and finds her for a short time but discovers This novel feels something of a departure for NG， whose previous books I have loved。 This is no exception， It's a real page turner and chillingly prescient， set in the near future。 The story centres around Bird a 9 year old boy who lives with his father in an apartment attached to the University in Cambridge， Mass。 His mother， Margaret has disappeared following fears that if she stayed Bird would be taken from the family。 Bird searches for his mother and finds her for a short time but discovers that she is in fact ever present in her poetry and in the minds and hearts of his family and others。 It sounds a bit twee but it's really isn't。 This is a touching story of fear and love and family。Told first through Bird's eyes then through Margaret's it's beautifully done and we never feel lectured。。The heartbreaking reality of being abused for looking different is shown compassionately and with genuine feeling。。 Chidlren being separated from parents happens all the time in the USA and elsewhere。 The state has ultimate control over our children something you only know once you've been at risk。The rise in racism against Asian people during the early stages of the Covid Pandemic is what Ng credits for the inspiration for this chilling novel but there have been instances forever of how the US （ and other countries） views Asian peoples to be a threat。 At this exact moment I can read multiple stories blaming China for the economic situation and I know of individuals who have been targeted and face abuse daily。 It isn't really fiction ， it's a foretelling。Highly recommend。 Thank you for my ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
Carol Ann
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Powerful， unforgettable， truthful， timely， and a wake-up call。 A must read。
Emily Silet
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Beautifully written prose， fully realized characters， and an eerily possible future sets the background for this powerful novel by a talented writer。
Kim McGee
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A dystopian society that is always watching those who don't follow the norm and punishing those who don't look like those in power （in this case those of Asian descent） or act like they do。 Bird has lost his mother who was targeted as a radical poet。 Now that the government is taking children away from parents they feel are not following the party line and relocating them， Bird's dad is hiding them in the shadows。 Bird yearns for answers as to why his mother left and where she has gone but he ca A dystopian society that is always watching those who don't follow the norm and punishing those who don't look like those in power （in this case those of Asian descent） or act like they do。 Bird has lost his mother who was targeted as a radical poet。 Now that the government is taking children away from parents they feel are not following the party line and relocating them， Bird's dad is hiding them in the shadows。 Bird yearns for answers as to why his mother left and where she has gone but he can't get them from his dad who is a shell of his former self and searching for any trace of her will alert the authorities。 When a drawing comes he knows it is from his mom and goes off in search of her。 This is a beautiful coming of age story that dives deep into the relationship between parent and child quietly picking at your loose heart strings until you unravel completely。 Intricately formed and quietly militant this story will stay with you well after the last page。 An added bonus is the awesome underground librarian network at play。 Fans of 1984， THE HANDMAIDS TALE and cautionary tales of extreme nationalism will find much to love。My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Susan
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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press for the opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review。 This books is to be published October 2022。Is this the past， present or future？ In an America tired of economic crisis after economic crisis， and given our history of blaming ethnic groups for lost jobs， inflation， or whatever trouble is being endured， Ng shows us a country that has let things go too far。 What’s terrifying is that this feels all too real， as if the book is a Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press for the opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review。 This books is to be published October 2022。Is this the past， present or future？ In an America tired of economic crisis after economic crisis， and given our history of blaming ethnic groups for lost jobs， inflation， or whatever trouble is being endured， Ng shows us a country that has let things go too far。 What’s terrifying is that this feels all too real， as if the book is a warning for us all。 The country we are told to hate is China。 They are the cause of all of our problems。 Margaret Miu， a poet and American citizen， is in hiding for fear of being arrested for vague reasons。 Her husband and son have lost nearly everything， including her， to eke out a poor existence in Boston。 No one wants to be Chinese or give any indication that they are anti-American by speaking out against the brutal policies， as the threat of having your child taken away is ever present。 Parents who are sympathizers are unfit to teach their children in these pro-American traditions。 Everyone is at risk of that knock on your door。 You could say something or not say enough to show your Americanism。 Neighbors turn on neighbors。 Everyone is being monitored。 Margaret sends a cryptic message to her son Bird which starts the page-turning events。This book hit upon every nerve in my being。 As a librarian， I can’t bear to see a world where books are banned and ideas are shunned。 As a mom， the concept of my child being taken away because of a neighbor not liking some small thing is terrifying。 As a granddaughter of immigrants， I am tense thinking of how my grandparents had to assimilate into a society that hated them， but know that as time passed and their accent softened， they were able to blend because their faces looked like their neighbors。 As an American， what could be worse than being monitored and followed and suppressed at every turn because of government policy？ As a scholar， I know this reality is not far away and could easily happen if the next election turns bad。This book is so gripping that I started telling everyone about it within the first chapters。 This will be a best seller。 This will be done in book clubs。 This will be talked about。 Thank you Celeste Ng。 You’ve done it again。5* 。。。more
Mary
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This absolutely wrecked me。 I burst into tears when I finished and can’t cohesively out my thoughts together。 However， it was floating around the book world “what is one novel you think everyone should read in their lifetime” and I can say without a doubt that this novel is that novel。
Trina
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3。5。 This novel is a really quiet， slow burn， but very well written and has important things to say about where society may be headed。 Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC
Alex Ryan
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Celeste Ng's Our Missing Hearts is one of the best books I've ever read。 This book is of-the-moment but bound to be considered a classic， and probably an award winner by this time a year or so from now。 Unfortunately， so many elements of this dystopian book are no longer， in 2022， unfathomable: What happens when an entire group of people are the scapegoats for a major economic downturn in the United States？ How do talk radio and TV news personalities conspire with lawmakers to point blame and wh Celeste Ng's Our Missing Hearts is one of the best books I've ever read。 This book is of-the-moment but bound to be considered a classic， and probably an award winner by this time a year or so from now。 Unfortunately， so many elements of this dystopian book are no longer， in 2022， unfathomable: What happens when an entire group of people are the scapegoats for a major economic downturn in the United States？ How do talk radio and TV news personalities conspire with lawmakers to point blame and what punishments do they dole out？ How do those same forces silence those who oppose them？ In the novel， we follow Bird， whose mother has been mysteriously removed from his life， as he navigates the world post-"Crisis"- a world where fidelity to the American culture is prized and everything "other" is dangerous to be associated with。 This is an important book， I am am so thankful to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this。 。。。more
Debbie
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Celeste Ng is an author I usually read but this book was just not a good fit for me。 The writing is fine but the storyline is one that does not appeal to me。 I am not a fan of dystopian fiction so sadly I did not finish。 This book will appeal to her many fans and readers of dystopia。 I will be looking forward to her next book。
Catherine Clapperton
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Absolutely humbling and enlightening。 Our Missing Hearts explores Anti-Asian sentiment and racism and how this is devastating masqueraded as patriotism or keeping a country safe。 This is particularly poignant due to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw a sickening surge in racism of all kinds ，in particular towards the Asian community。Frighteningly， this is happening world wide including here in the UK too。We meet the lovely Bird who longs to know more about His Mother， Margaret Miu， after being separ Absolutely humbling and enlightening。 Our Missing Hearts explores Anti-Asian sentiment and racism and how this is devastating masqueraded as patriotism or keeping a country safe。 This is particularly poignant due to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw a sickening surge in racism of all kinds ，in particular towards the Asian community。Frighteningly， this is happening world wide including here in the UK too。We meet the lovely Bird who longs to know more about His Mother， Margaret Miu， after being separated for many years。 A famous activist and poet。 Bird is used to having to keep a low profile and this is the story of what happens when tries to find Her。A tender， enlightening read。 。。。more
Leslie
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