February 26, 2026
Provided images/Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia has chosen 'Our Missing Hearts' by Celeste Ng as its 2026 selection for the One Book, One Philadelphia reading program.
The Free Library of Philadelphia is encouraging readers to check out "Our Missing Hearts," a story about a family torn apart by government censorship.
The 2022 novel is the public library's latest pick for One Book, One Philadelphia, the reading program that assigns a single book to the entire city. Written by bestselling author Celeste Ng, "Our Missing Hearts" imagines an America in the not-so-distant future where the government purges books from library shelves and "pulps" them into toilet paper. A 12-year-old boy living in this dystopian world goes searching for his mother, who has been exiled over her poetry.
With this selection, the Free Library is hoping to spark conversations around the First Amendment — just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's signing.
"Each year, One Book, One Philadelphia brings tens of thousands of readers together around a single, powerful story," Monique Moore Pryor, president of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, said in a statement. "With 'Our Missing Hearts,' Celeste Ng invites us to think deeply about ideas, art and the world we're living in. This book gives our city a meaningful opportunity to read, reflect and connect."
Bookworms might recognize Ng as the author of "Everything I Never Told You" and "Little Fires Everywhere." The latter was adapted into a 2020 Hulu series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
Kids and teenagers can join the One Book, One Philadelphia campaign by picking up one of two companion books. The Free Library's teen selection is "Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet" by Laekan Zea Kemp. "How to Grow a Family Tree" by Bea Birdsong is recommended for younger readers.
The Free Library will welcome Celeste Ng, author of its newest One Book, One Philadelphia selection, to the Parkway Central Library on April 7.
Free Library officials say "tens of thousands" of city residents participate in the "One Book, One Philadelphia" program each year. "The Upcycled Self" by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter was last year's pick.
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