Our Missing Hearts Character Analysis

Bird (Noah)

Bird is the 12-year-old protagonist of the novel. His mother, Margaret, is Asian, while his father, Ethan, is white. Bird’s legal name is Noah Gardner, but he thinks of himself as Bird. Bird… read analysis of Bird (Noah)

Margaret

Margaret is a middle-aged Chinese American poet. She is Bird’s mother, Ethan’s wife, and Domi’s friend. As a young woman during the Crisis years, Margaret witnesses a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment, which ultimately… read analysis of Margaret

Ethan

Ethan is a middle-aged white man who works at Harvard’s University’s library. He is Bird’s father and Margaret’s husband. As Bird’s sole guardian, Ethan is very aware that his actions and beliefs directly… read analysis of Ethan

Sadie

Sadie is a 13-year-old girl of mixed Black and white race. She is Bird’s only friend. When she was 11, Family Services removed Sadie from her parents’ custody because her mother, Erika’s, journalistic… read analysis of Sadie

Domi (the Duchess)

Domi is a middle-aged white woman who inherits a tech company from her wealthy father, Claude Duchess. She and Margaret are friends who live together during the Crisis. In those years, Domi rejects her… read analysis of Domi (the Duchess)

Marie Johnson

Marie Johnson is a Black first-year student at New York University who is shot and killed by police at an anti-PACT protest while holding a sign that reads “ALL OUR MISSING HEARTS,” a line… read analysis of Marie Johnson

Carina (Cambridge Librarian)

Carina is a librarian at the public library in Cambridge. She is friends with Sadie before she runs away, and she helps Bird make his way to New York City. Carina is part of a… read analysis of Carina (Cambridge Librarian)

Mrs. Johnson

Mrs. Johnson is Marie Johnson’s mother and Mr. Johnson’s wife. When Margaret visits to apologize for the role her poem played in Marie’s death, Mrs. Johnson invites her in, recognizing Margaret as a… read analysis of Mrs. Johnson

Mr. Johnson

Mr. Johnson is Marie Johnson’s father and Mrs. Johnson’s husband. He is suspicious of Margaret when she arrives on his doorstep, and he remarks that he told Marie not to go to the… read analysis of Mr. Johnson

Margaret’s Father

Margaret’s father is a Chinese immigrant and is married to Margaret’s mother. After finding a bomb in his mailbox, he and his wife do their best to assimilate into American culture and teach Margaret… read analysis of Margaret’s Father

Minor Characters

Margaret’s Mother

Margaret’s mother is a Chinese immigrant, married to Margaret’s father. She faces intense racial discrimination in the United States, and consequently teaches Margaret to avoid standing out while trying her best to assimilate into American culture. She dies of a heart attack after Margaret’s father is assaulted and dies.

Erika

Erika is Sadie’s mother. She is a journalist who was arrested after reporting on PACT child removals. When Erika persisted in her investigations, Sadie was removed from her custody by Family Services.

Claude Duchess

Claude Duchess is a tech mogul and Domi’s father, who dies and leaves her his company.

Mrs. Pollard

Mrs. Pollard is Bird’s seventh-grade science teacher. She warns him not to make trouble after he uses a computer to search for information about Margaret.