by Celeste Ng
Reviewed by Janet:
After the past few years, it’s not hard to accept this dystopian version of the United States, where a period of crisis has led to the adoption of the Preserving American Culture & Traditions Act (PACT), a statute which encourages citizens to patriotism, and includes the removal of unpatriotic books from libraries and children from their dissident homes. Bird’s mother, an Asian-American poet, deserted the family after being accused of anti-PACT sympathies. When a mysterious drawing arrives for him in the mail, he begins a journey to discover more about his mother, her crusade to fight injustice, and himself.