I don’t read dystopian fiction. There’s too much bad stuff going on in this world to make me want to visit some imaginary landscape to see how much worse it could be. But a friend recommended “Our Missing Hearts,” by Celeste Ng, and I was completely captivated. In Ng’s novel, there are no apocalyptic wars, sinister new technologies or ingenious methods of torture. Rather, every abuse in her world has already happened in this one. Strict enforcement of the PACT (Protecting American Culture and Traditions) act has led to censorship and the destruction of books, suspicion and hatred of people of Asian origin, and, worst of all, the removal of children from parents considered in any way suspect. Readers witness this through the eyes of 13-year-old Bird, as he searches for his mother, who has disappeared. It’s a compelling, easily digestible novel, available at the San Marcos Public Library. You can hear more about it Tuesday at 5 p.m. on “Bookmarked.”
“Our Missing Hearts” moved me deeply, beyond the suspense of Bird’s search and the painful recognition of so much in his frightening world. In that world, resistance is non-violent, with graffiti and yarn bombings rather than guns and bombs. The most powerful resistance comes through finding, recording, and spreading the stories of parents and children separated by PACT. And for me, that shone a new light on the many hours other volunteers and I spend in our crowded storefront studio – recording, editing, and interviewing. Telling our stories, your stories, defends us against the kind of tyranny that Ng describes.
I’ve lived long enough to know that the only way to a free, safe, and just world is to do as all our religious traditions and our simple humanity dictate, and love our neighbors as much as ourselves. Hearing their stories teaches us to love them, not fear or hate them.
Last week our dedicated Station Manager, Rob Roark, recorded and broadcast the words of Wayne Miller, grandfather of Malachi Williams, the young man shot by the police, on “We the People” (Fridays 7-8 p.m.). On “Human Interest” (Thursdays 2-3 p.m.), we rebroadcast an interview with Chief of Police Stan Standridge. You can hear their stories, your neighbors’ and your own on KZSM 104.1 and KZSM.org, 24/7. Contact us to share your stories, your ideas, your dreams, your grievances, and your music—and help make this world a better place for all of us.
