Minders

Through the Mind Corps program, Sadie eavesdrops on the mind of (unwitting) teen Ford, living in his head every day for six weeks. Sadie moves from judgment to sympathy to infatuation and advocacy as she tries to help him rebuild his life and take down a criminal kingpin. Readers will find much to discuss in the book's take on inequality, surveillance, and morality.

Sadie, a privileged high-achieving student from the outskirts of Detroit, is thrilled to be accepted to the elite Mind Corps program. There she will use cutting-edge technology to collect data on residents of Detroit's rundown City Center by eavesdropping on the mind of another teen and living in his head every day for six weeks. Her unwitting subject, Ford, has problems of his own, including an investigation into his brother's recent death during which he uncovers secrets that put his life in danger. As she observes Ford, Sadie moves from judgment to sympathy to infatuation and advocacy as she tries from afar to help him rebuild his life and take down the Pharmacist, a criminal kingpin using the Mind Corps neural links to control City Center residents. Sadie's growing feelings for Ford, the book's foreshadowing of oncoming disasters, and the increasing suspense about when and how Ford will become aware of Sadie's existence also propel the plot. Tackling issues of privilege, privacy, and corruption, this ambitious story is somewhat hobbled by the differential between Sadie's largely internal journey and Ford's much more dynamic story. Nevertheless, the Pharmacist plot is satisfyingly twisty and disturbing, and readers will find much to discuss in the book's take on inequality, surveillance, and the black-and-white morality espoused by Mind Corps. claire e. gross