Thursday, August 17, 2023

Our Missing Hearts

 A dystopian novel that digs at the problems of our society in a very interesting way.  Written by Celeste Ng who explores what can happen if our society goes too far down a very dark path.

Dystopian novels are not usually my cup of tea, but after finishing the novel I cannot stop thinking about it. Now I am actually going to re-read it and use it for a book discussion group about banned books.  So obviously this novel has grown on me.  

Bird is a 12 year old boy who is growing up with his father and disowning his mother.  Now he begins to question the rules he has been taught to follow since he was nine years old.  Being quiet, not standing out and pretending his mother does not exist.  His father is a meek man who also keeps his head down and has forgotten his wife in a society that is against mixed marriages and differing points of view.  Bird’s mother is a Chinese American poet who wrote what she believed and threatened the  “American culture”.  

He sets off to find his mother and make some decisions and choices of his own.  He takes the risks his father has been trying to protect him from .  It is a story of power and love.  The idea of art to create change and the legacy we want to pass onto to our children.

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