Our Missing Hearts is a gripping novel about a mother’s unbreakable love in a world consumed by fear. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left when he was nine years old, and her books have since been banned.

Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, pulling him into a quest to find her. His journey takes him through the many folktales she once shared, into an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he uncovers the truth about his mother and the future that awaits them both.

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, exploring the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore searing injustice. It delves into the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children and the power of art to create change.