Our Missing Hearts

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a dystopia? Can you brainstorm examples of dystopias? What about other dystopian novels?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might be familiar with images of post-apocalyptic dystopias but may not necessarily think of novels like Our Missing Hearts or Fahrenheit 451, which tell us more about society. Introducing students to this genre will not only help them to understand the setting of Ng’s novel, but it will also help them to understand the ways in which control is exerted over citizens, both actively and passively, through legislation like PACT. It will also help them to begin to understand the theme of The Dangers of Racism in Society.

• “Dystopian Novels” from the San Antonio Public Library offers a definition of the genre and includes a list of classic dystopian novels.
• “The Booker Prize guide to… dystopian fiction” includes a history of the genre, ranging from classic novels to more contemporary texts.

2. Let’s test your knowledge of historical context. Can you think of novels that touch on major historical events? What about books that respond to the culture of their time? How do these novels address modern issues?

Teaching Suggestion: Our Missing Hearts responds directly to anti-Asian sentiment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as historical and contemporary racism in the United States. Guiding students to understand that novels do not exist in a vacuum can help them to recognize that context matters, and that Ng is trying to make an argument about modern American society to her readers. It will also help them to reckon with The Power of Storytelling, as Ng engages a somewhat meta project: She is using a story to tell about storytelling.

• “Historical Fiction is More Important Than Ever: 10 Writers Weigh In” from Literary Hub highlights the importance of the genre and the perspective of historical fiction writers to speak about their approach to literature and the connections they make between fiction and events that actually occurred.
• “25 Books Inspired by Real Events” from Epic Reads is a list of novels that connect to contemporary circumstances and attempt to address real-world issues.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Many children grow up hearing stories passed along by their family members or guardians. What stories were you told as a child? What do you remember about the stories? What about the times that they were shared with you?

Teaching Suggestion: Bird has to hunt down the story of The Boy Who Drew Cats in order to track down his mother. He not only remembers the plot but also the games he’d play with his mother as a child. Encourage students to think through The Importance of Family and The Power of Storytelling with regard to the prompt.

Differentiation Suggestion: For kinetic learners, have students get in groups around the room and share their memories of storytelling with parents or guardians with one another. Ask them for affective responses to what it was like to share these memories and what effects stories had on them as children.