Using slips of paper in books, the librarians work as the middle-men of sorts, distributing notes to either parents or messengers, with the sole aim here to categorize and try to reunite the snatched children with their biological parents. How do the librarians play into the resistance?Īcross the course of the novel we learn that the librarians play a vital role to distributing information to Margaret and the others, who use bicycles to relay messages. It’s a move made to try and protect Bird from being rehoused, which is a very real worry among parents now, and an unfortunately effective tool to silence the masses. Unfortunately the authorities see this as a sign of being anti-American and rally against Margaret, desperate to take her down no matter what.Īs a result, she’s forced to leave Bird and Ethan behind, with the latter keeping up the pretence that his wife is actually a filthy terrorist and they cast her out. People rally around this and use it as a way of communicating their message. Unlike the radical terrorist story Bird has been told all his life, Margaret is actually a rather gentle woman who never wanted to get into trouble.Ī poet in her free time, one of her poems struck a chord with the public, namely the line “Our Missing Hearts”, which the group have used as code for the missing kids that have been taken. Who is Margaret? Why is she important to the resistance?Īcross the book we learn that Margaret Miu, Bird’s mother, is actually a key part of the rebellion. PACT was enforced as a result, turning friend to foe as neighbours turned on their Asian citizens. With the US economy crippled, and the country plunged into financial ruin, fingers are pointed at China as the culprit. This is, of course, a direct parallel to what happened in Nazi Germany. This is enforced across the US, which promises to “protect American values.” Of course, this also means that anything anti-America is destroyed, including a number of books. PACT stands for the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act. In doing so, Bird learns more about the world he inhabits – and the lie that’s blanketed him from the awful truth lying in plain view. However, when Bird receives a cryptic letter with pictures of cats on and a presumed link to his mum, he’s thrust into a quest to try and find her. A former linguist, Ethan has taught his son not to ask too many questions or stand out for fear of persecution – or worse.īird’s estranged mother, Margaret, is a Chinese American poet and deemed by society to be a dangerous terrorist and a menace. 12 year old Bird Gardner is our protagonist, who lives a quiet existence with his father. Our Missing Hearts revolves around one family, torn apart by a current regime that’s swept across America called PACT.

Missing hearts celeste ng