Bird (Noah) Gardner

Bird, a 12-year-old boy living in a futuristic Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the protagonist and central narrator of Our Missing Hearts. Bird was raised by his Asian mother Margaret and his white father Ethan. His name is Noah—which the government and his teachers repeatedly attempt to force him to be called—but his mother gave him the nickname “Bird.” Although initially indoctrinated into the oppressive society of PACT-era America, Bird becomes more critical of his world and more independent as the story progresses. At the beginning of the novel, Bird accepts the PACT ideology and even critiques his friend Sadie for raising subversive ideas. He also does not understand that his mother is being persecuted by the government; instead, he is in emotional turmoil because he is not sure why his mother no longer lives with him and wonders if he is to blame. However...