Today Alexandra Bracken stops by Laura’s Review Book Shelf to share how The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” helped shape The Darkest Minds, and what song also inspired the name of a certain minivan in the novel…
Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones
This is the very first song referenced in The Darkest Minds, though it’s done indirectly. (“Mick
Jagger crooned next to my ear, singing about war and peace and
shelter—those kinds of lies.”) In this scene, Ruby is being driven out
of Thurmond, the rehabilitation camp she’s been trapped in for the last
six years and is… a little out of it, to put it mildly.
Because
there were so many references to songs in the early drafts of the
book—and they had the tendency to be a little distracting--my editor and
I decided to pull back a bit and blend some of these references in a
bit more subtly. It made a lot more sense in relation to Ruby’s
character, too. While she grew up listening to classic rock thanks to
her dad, and can generally pick out what band s playing, after so many
years, she might not remember all of the titles themselves.
Most
of the songs mentioned in the story are from the 60s and 70s, and
allude to that period of war and uncertainty. This one is no difference.
“Gimme Shelter” is ultimately about the awareness that war is always
present in our lives (Just a shot away). This song makes me feel
anxious every time I hear it because it builds and builds and builds to
this screaming tension. I liked that it reflected the high-pressured
situation Ruby finds herself in—that some small problem could get her
caught and sent back into the hell she just escaped.
Black Betty by Ram Jam
If
you flip through the pages, you’ll find any number of nicknames I’ve
borrowed from classic rock, and the name Liam bestows upon their minivan
chariot is no different. To give you a little background on the song’s
(in my opinion!), it’s a 19th century folk and work song,
though there’s quite a bit of debate about who or what “Black Betty” is.
The nickname has been given to a number of things throughout the years,
including, but not limited to: a bottle of whiskey, a musket, a whip,
and a penitentiary wagon. So why the name “Black Betty” for the
minivan? Well, in part because when Liam & Co. found the black car,
it still had a decal from its former life: Betty Jean Cleaning. Liam has the (endearing?) habit of nicknaming the things and people he likes and want to bring into his fold.
About The Darkest Minds
When
Ruby awakened on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed.
Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and
call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal
government "rehabilitation camp." Because Ruby might have survived the
mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and
the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they
cannot control.
Now
sixteen, Ruby knows that she is one of the dangerous ones and, when the
truth comes out, she barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run
and desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her, Ruby
joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave
leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for
him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what she did to her
parents.
When
they arrive at the safe haven, East River, nothing is as it seems,
least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work
too, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against
the government. And soon Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one
that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.
The heart-pounding first book a near-future dystopian series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds will leave you begging for the next installment.
Alexandra Bracken was
born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of
William & Mary in Virginia. She recently relocated to New York
City, where she works in publishing and lives in a charming apartment
overflowing with books. You can visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken).
The Darkest Minds Blog Tour Schedule
January 6th: TheSkipKids.com
January 7th: Mundie Moms
January 8th: Laura’s Review Bookshelf
January 9th: The Book Smugglers
January 10th: Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf
January 11th: The Book Muncher
January 14th: The Compulsive Reader
January 15th: Anna Reads
January 16th: Emily's Reading Room
January 17th: *Headdesk*
January 18th: BlookGirl
January 21st: Once Upon a Twilight
January 22nd: Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog
January 23rd: Good Choice Reading
January 24th: Novel Novice
January 25: Tynga's Reviews
Posts
I absolutely loved it!! The book gave me everything from laughs to tears. I dreamed that I was in this world last night, actually it was more of a nightmare but that just shows the impact of the book on me. This book has clawed its way into my top 5, Its going right along side Hunger Games, The Raven Boys, Divergent and the Evolution of Mara Dyer (must read). This book had me yelling at the top of lungs.
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