**An astonishing World War II military story of civil rights from New
York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient Steve
Sheinkin.
**
A National Book Award Finalist
A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at
Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the
docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering
windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to
work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed.
When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in
jail and even execution.
The Port Chicago 50 is a fascinating story of the prejudice and
injustice that faced black men and women in America's armed forces
during World War II, and a nuanced look at those who gave their lives in
service of a country where they lacked the most basic rights.
This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into
multiple aspects of the common core curriculum, including history and
social studies.
"Sheinkin delivers another meticulously researched WWII story, one he
discovered while working on his Newbery Honor book, Bomb...Archival
photos appear throughout, and an extensive bibliography, source notes,
and index conclude this gripping, even horrific account of a battle for
civil rights predating Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Also by Steve Sheinkin:
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous
Weapon
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism &
Treachery
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football
Team
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam
War
Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell
You About Westward Expansion
King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks
Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution
***Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You
About the Civil War
***Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America
