My school as a whole was primarily Asian, which would have made him the minority. His muttered curse probably hadn’t been directed towards me in particular – I hadn’t been contributing at all – but rather toward my team, which was composed of Asians. He was white, and a year younger, angry about losing a game of Ultimate Frisbee, the epitome of middle school PE. In middle school, a boy called me a chink. They shun him, another trait of the real world. Less horrific, yet perhaps more relevant to the average person, Bird, the main character, faces bullying by his fellow students for his Asian-American features. An example of such would be the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, in which six out of the eight killed were of Asian descent, yet people refused to recognize the race-based correlation.

Even worse, none of the many onlookers rush to her aid, instead choosing to turn away.Īsian American hate is commonly marginalized and ignored, though horrific events are occasionally brought to light by the media.

The look on his face is impassive as if he is just doing his duty as an American citizen. After attacking her, the man turns on her dog, a tiny, white, harmless puff of fur. In one jarring scene, an East Asian woman is forced to the ground and stomped on by a White man. PAOs (Persons of Asian Origin) were victims of harsh brutality by their fellow citizens. In Our Missing Hearts, government-sanctioned Anti-Asian sentiment is prominent, although disguised. Ng explores the thin line between nationalism and outright racism, particularly xenophobia, in a way that’s both timeless and timely. Those who disagree with the law are scorned as un-American. The government’s response to this was to pass a law called PACT (Preserve American Culture and Traditions) which only served as an excuse for racist acts against minorities. Americans began to turn on themselves, suspicious of those with features even remotely resembling Asian origins. Unfairly or not, China was used as a scapegoat and blamed for America’s collapse. Violence and unemployment ravaged American society, leading to widespread fear and distrust. Ten years have passed since the Crisis, a period of economic and social instability in Ng’s fictional US. Although not a traditional dystopian novel, Ng’s world is horrifying in its own way. Ng’s words and scenes may resonate especially with minority readers, who may identify with scenes in this book.

The book is a deeply disturbing and cautionary tale warning readers of the dangers of chauvinism. Heart-rendingly descriptive, Celeste Ng’s Our Missing Hearts illustrates a dystopian society that is uncomfortably close to our own.

Our Missing Hearts is a dystopian novel that explores anti-Asian violence and discrimination.

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