One day, Bird receives a letter from his mother, or more precisely, a sheet with all sorts of cats drawn on it. Living in a time when the Preserving American Culture and Traditions (PACT) act is in full effect, Bird’s obvious Asian origins make him a target for a nation caught up in an aggressive kind of patriotism. Having gotten accustomed to leading a quiet and unassuming existence, Bird knows not to ask too many questions about his past, and to simply keep his head down and under the radar as best he can.
Both of their lives have gone downhill three years ago, when his mother Margaret, a Chinese-American poet, suddenly vanished without a trace. He was once a linguist, but has now been relegated to working as a library assistant, doing his best to provide what little he can for his son. The story begins by introducing us to Bird Gardner, a relatively unremarkable twelve-year-old living with his loving yet broken father. The treatment of Asian-Americans has always been a dark and ugly stain on the country’s history, and Celeste Ng has been shining the light on it for years, as she does with her latest novel, Our Missing Hearts. It’s an issue so deeply-ingrained and consistent, it becomes natural to forget about and see it fade into the background by those unaffected. The knowledge that various people and cultures suffer discrimination in the United States is nothing new, but therein lies the problem. Celeste Ng Sends a Young Boy on a Mission
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