“Our Missing Hearts”
The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. Descriptions are provided by the publisher, unless otherwise noted. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Fiction: “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is drawn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.
“Live Wire”
Nonfiction: “Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories” by Kelly Ripa
A sharp, funny, and honest collection of real-life stories from Kelly Ripa, showing the many dimensions and crackling wit of the beloved daytime talk show host.
“Fighting for YES”
Youth: “Fighting for Yes!: The Story of Disability Rights Activist” Judith Heumann
In the 1970s an important disability rights law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was waiting to be signed. Judy and other disability rights activists fought for YES! They held a sit-in until Section 504 was signed into law. Section 504—established thanks in large part to the ongoing work of Judy and her community—laid the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act.— Front jacket flap.
