Our Missing Hearts

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Ng’s other two novels—Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere—also feature Asian American families. Taken together, what common themes do they address? How do they present the Asian American experience? 
• Compare and contrast Ng’s approach to the dystopian novel to other books in the genre. Options might include George Orwell’s 1984, Susan Collins’s The Hunger Games, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, or  Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven.
• How does Ng use real-life events as inspiration for the novel’s plot and conflict? What does she change or modify? What are the advantages—and what are the dangers or risks—of basing a story on true events?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• How did you feel about the novel’s portrayal of (a dystopian vision of) America? Did you find it realistic? Why or why not?
• How was your reaction to the novel shaped by having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Consider your own ethnic or cultural heritage. What values associated with it have shaped you?
• Which character did you find it most difficult to connect with, and why?

Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• The phrase “Our Missing Hearts” becomes a slogan for the movement to protect Asian Americans. Consider recent slogans that have driven social justice movements, such as “Black Lives Matter” or “Me Too.” What is the appeal of such slogans? How do they aid in social justice movements? Is there any danger (e.g., of oversimplification) in such slogans?
• Book-banning efforts have gained traction in 21st-century US society. What does the novel suggest about the motivations of book banners? What solutions does it offer to the impulse toward censorship?

4. Literary Analysis 

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Assess the actions of the character Ethan. As a white male, how is his situation different than that of his wife and son? Does he ameliorate their plight or further complicate it?
• Is the novel’s overall tone hopeful or pessimistic? How so?
• Parent/child connections are central to the novel. How are Bird and Margaret alike? What has he inherited from her? 
• Margaret’s poetry figures prominently in the novel. What effect does this have? What does the novel suggest about art’s role during crises?

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Fairytales and storytelling are important tropes in the book. If you were to rewrite Our Missing Hearts in the fairytale genre, what changes might you make? 
• Early in the novel, Bird receives a message from his mother via a storybook she frequently read to him. Consider the books that were important to your childhood: If you were to leave a message in a picture book, which book would you choose, and why? 
• Imagine a sequel that features Bird and Sadie as adults. How have the events of the PACT impacted the way they parent their own children?

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