Pat Taub
This past weekend I devoured Celeste Ng’s dystopian, suspense novel, “Our Missing Hearts.” When I finished the book, I sat quietly, reflecting, arriving at the troubling conclusion that the dark world Ng describes is at our door.
Celeste Ng, author of “Our Missing Hearts”
In Ng’s story, Asian Americans are scapegoated. As our government’s verbal attacks on China increase, Asian Americans are reporting an increase in hate speech and hate crime directed towards them.
Ng describes a country gripped by fear where everyone wears a flag button or displays a flag in their establishment, so they are not accused of being disloyal to the government. We’re not quite there but growing government censorship of journalists who disagree with the official government position, increases the likelihood of fear running our lives. Banned books are a feature of “Our Missing Hearts.” Florida’s new banned books law is taking us in this direction, with conservative states rushing to keep up, banning books on critical race theory and non-traditional gender roles.
The title, “Our Missing Hearts” refers to an innocent poem written by the book’s protagonist Margaret Miu, an Asian American poet. To her surprise, Margaret’s poem becomes the motif for the resistance. Red hearts are painted on city streets, trees are yarn bombed with red yarn, while protesters wear red hearts on their clothing.
Once it becomes known that Margaret wrote the poem adopted by the resistance, she is a target of the law that removes children from dissident parents. Concerned that her 9-year-old son, Bird is in danger of replacement, Margaret flees from her husband and son before the authorities can remove Bird. The novel revolves around Bird’s search for his mother and Margaret’s risky plan to reunite forcibly removed children with their ‘un-American’ parents.
Inspired by Ng’s book I made a mental list of some of the ways we’re missing our hearts in 2022:
The people of Jefferson and Jackson Mississippi, are among those cities faced with undrinkable water, resulting from years of neglect to their water source. To date nothing has been done to remedy this situation, aside from shipping a few cartons of bottled drinking water.
Jackson resident, Kwane Bowne, says he has had no safe drinking water for at least a year and a half (Washington Post)
A failure to pass legislation to curb the sale of guns, especially assault weapons, has left vulnerable teachers at the mercy of products, like heavy hammers to break window glass for a quick escape. Kids’ bullet-proof back packs were among this year’s back-to-school items.
The New Yorker cover, October 17, 2022
Low-income elderly suffering from meager government assistance programs are often forced to choose between rent and life-saving prescriptions. As the cost of insulin rises, many Americans report they are taking only half the recommended dosage.
Juanita Brown, 77, has had to do without things like replacing her dentures or replenishing her heating oil. (The New York Times)
Homelessness is increasing, especially in urban areas like LA, where homeless encampments stretch for city blocks and where the homeless forage in garbage cans for food. For the most part LA has responded by sweeping in and breaking up homeless congregations.
A homeless encampment in LA
The cruel warehousing of migrant children started by Trump goes on, increasing under Biden.
American women and girls who become pregnant with an unwanted child, can face death from self-induced abortions, if they live in a state where abortion is banned, and if they are unable to afford to travel to a state that has legalized abortions.
The youthful-led “Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights” group
Our war-addicted government turns its back on its victims, like refusing to unfreeze Afghanistan’s central bank funds, predicting a winter of mass starvations for Afghan families.
Almost daily mainstream media runs stories of people suffering in war-torn Ukraine while ignoring the plight of Palestinians who are constantly subject to Israel’s cruel police state. A few weeks ago, 7-year-old Rayan Suleman died of a heart attack, after being chased by Israeli soldiers.
Funeral procession with the body of 7-year-old Rayan Suleman
Labor strikes for fair wages can result in strikers losing their jobs, which has been a common Starbucks’ response.
World leaders’ indifference to reducing fossil fuel consumption puts the globe on life-support.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if we don’t pressure our government to stop the nuclear chicken game in the war with Ukraine and engage in peace negotiations, we face the very real prospect of WW III when all our hearts will be missing.
