She knows, however, that she is really an Orange. When the camp classified her powers, she was able to take over the scientist's mind and convince him that she is a Green. Shortly after, Ruby was taken to Thurmond. The novel flashes back to when Ruby was 10, living at home, and she first learned about her classmates dying.

While working, 16-year-old Ruby hears the “White Noise” sound the camp uses as a control tactic the noise sounds more painful than usual, and she passes out. The novel begins in Thurmond, a government rehabilitation camp for Psi young people in West Virginia. Psi abilities fall into one of five categories, coded by color: Blues can move objects mentally Greens have advanced intelligence Reds can start fires Yellows can control electricity and Oranges can enter others’ minds. These survivors, called Psi, were put into camps for the safety of the country. Those children who survived it developed abilities that were deemed dangerous by the government.

In this near-future setting, most children in the United States have died from a mysterious illness. This guide follows the 2013 First Paperback Edition. The novel contains profanity and non-explicit references to sexual assault. In 2018, The Darkest Minds was released as a film adaptation by 20th Century Fox. Exploring themes of generational conflict and the power of memory, The Darkest Minds was the winner of Goodreads’ 2013 Choice Awards for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction. The first book in The Darkest Minds series is followed by Never Fade, In the Afterlight, and Through the Dark.

The darkest minds book series