READ: "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng / MEET to discuss at "Old Town Lockup"

This book was actually the selection for both the Maryland and Philadelphia Novel Tourist groups back in May; however the Maryland group never had a chance to meet in person to discuss it. If you've already read it, great! If not, here's your chance to read this critically acclaimed novel that you might have missed.

Meet at the "Old Town Lock-up, North East, Maryland"

The Old Town Lock-up in North East, Maryland, is a restored historic building that once served as the town’s police station municipal jail. Built in 1885 by architect Levi O. Cameron, the two-story brick structure is notable for its three-pronged turrets and barred windows, giving it a fortress-like appearance. From 1952 to 1991, the second floor of the building also served as a small public library. I thought this space would be nice to meet because it is unique and has a history as a library. (Librarians were very important in this story!) Only the first floor has been renovated for occupancy (it's small), but we will be allowed to view the upstairs that was the former library.

"Our Missing Hearts" Book description from Good Reads:

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird 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 pulled 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.