Our Missing Hearts

A book about a mother's unwavering love in a world where fear rules.

With his loving but shattered father, a former linguist who now stacks books in a university library, twelve-year-old Bird Gardner has a tranquil life. Bird is aware that it's best not to wander too far, stand out too much, or ask too many questions. Their lives have been controlled by rules meant to protect "American culture" over the last 10 years as a result of years of violent and unstable economic conditions. Libraries have been forced to remove books deemed to be unpatriotic, including the writings of Bird's mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old. These measures are all part of an effort to maintain peace and restore prosperity. The authorities are now permitted to relocate dissident children, particularly those of Asian descent.

Bird grew up rejecting his mother and her poetry; he is aware that he shouldn't wonder and is unaware of her life's work or circumstances. However, he becomes drawn into a search for her after receiving an enigmatic letter that just has a mystery drawing in it. His voyage will take him back to the numerous folktales she instilled in him when he was younger, through the ranks of a covert librarian network, into the lives of the abducted children, and ultimately to New York City, where a fresh act of defiance might mark the start of desperately needed change.