Summary

During the crisis, a student at New York University read Margaret’s book and used the line “All Our Missing Hearts” on a sign at a protest, where police shot and killed her. The line becomes a rallying cry for other activists protesting against PACT and especially against the separation of children from their families. Racist news reporters research Margaret and spread the word that she is a “radical PAO”; her poems about gardening are interpreted as veiled metaphors for “anti-American ideology” (206). Margaret’s publisher is threatened and forced to pull copies of her book; then, the entire printing press is forced to shut down. The post office monitors Margaret and Ethan’s mail, and her address and phone number are posted online. Due to the extreme threats, Margaret does not allow Bird to go outside. Ethan’s own...