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Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
Somehow, the United States of America has become a country that talks about ways to force people to get in line with political agendas. It seems we’ve learned nothing from witch hunts of the past, and our nation seems determined to repeat these mistakes. As a nation founded on the principles of legalized dissent and free speech, it’s nothing short of criminal to try to encourage the silencing of those deemed “dangerous.” A novel I recently read called Our Missing Hearts tackles this situation.
Remember back during the dark days of the pandemic when people were saying horrific things about what should be done to the folks who opted not to get vaccinated with an experimental medication that had been pushed through the approval process? Don Lemon, formerly of CNN, felt that the unvaccinated should not be allowed to buy food or work. CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner says that unvaccinated people shouldn’t go to bars and restaurants. A doctor pondered the ethics of whether he could refuse to see unvaccinated patients in The New York Times. Pam Keith, an attorney from Florida, suggested that the unvaccinated be denied access to any federal benefits…including things they’ve paid into their entire working lives, like Social Security.
And “deprogramming” has been brought up more than once in the past few years also. There was a popular thread back when X was Twitter, in 2020, about how anyone who had voted for Trump over the senile and corrupt Biden needed to be put into reeducation camps and deprogrammed.
Apparently, the idea stuck with failed presidential candidate Hillary “Sour Grapes” Clinton because she repeated the notion just last week in an interview with CNN, calling for the “formal deprogramming of MAGA extremists.”
In such a world, a world where dissent is harshly punished and lives are ruined with reckless abandon, just how far are such people willing to go?
Here’s a book you’ve got to read about how far things could go.
One of my best friends recently recommended a book that was passed on to her by her daughter. It’s called Our Missing Hearts and is written by Celeste Ng. After reading it, I agree that it is required reading for anyone concerned about the terrifying crackdown on dissent that America is experiencing.
The book is set sometime in the near future – it isn’t specific about when, precisely. A “Crisis” has occurred in the United States that resulted in a harsh new set of rules to “protect” citizens from anything that might be considered unAmerican. It has created a fearful society where people fly flags out of self-defense, where they are afraid to say anything that could be overheard and considered traitorous to the notion of America, and where children are taught in school to report their parents for their parent’s own good if they espouse “dangerous” beliefs.
Books are banned left and right – not burned, because that would be uncivilized – but turned into pulp. Free thought is dangerous thought, and it must not be tolerated.
The scapegoats in this novel are Americans of Asian descent – any Asian really, but particularly the Chinese. Chinese-American people are pinpointed as the Big Bad in America and they more than anyone must show their devout patriotism with every breath they take. They are targeted for hate crimes and prosecuted for fighting back. They are run out of good neighborhoods, looked on with suspicion, and treated as second-class citizens.
And there’s a punishment even more severe for those who dissent.
But the thing about the book is that you can put any face on the people discriminated against – a black face, a brown face, a white face wearing a red hat – and it could be anyone who is the target of the viciousness of a nation.
The biggest thing they do to keep people under control is to take away their children. One day, you’re overheard or suspected or reported. The next day, you’re getting your child ready for bed and a small army shows up at your door to take them someplace more suitable. You’re told that if you behave, if you mend your unAmerican ways, if you keep quiet about what happened, you’ll get them back.
So nobody talks about it.
In the afterword, Ng writes about the taking of children by governments. She says:
There is a long history in the US and elsewhere of removing children as a means of political control.
And she’s right. And if we live in a country willing to consider “deprogramming” those who hold the “wrong” opinion, how far will they go in the future once the reeducation doesn’t work?
The novel is chilling in its descriptions, told mostly from the point of view of a young boy who is figuring out how incredibly wrong his society is and discovering how difficult it is to exist in such a society once you see the truth.
I can’t recommend the book highly enough. Please check out Our Missing Hearts. It reminds us why we must fight the creeping fascism infecting America. Even if you don’t have children, getting a glimpse into a future we don’t want is the first step toward preventing it.
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it? (No spoilers, please.)
Did you hear about Clinton’s suggestion that “MAGA extremists” be “formally deprogrammed?” Are you concerned that this insidious creep toward an authoritarian state will continue? How do you think we can halt the progress?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
