The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights (National Book Award Finalist) - Softcover

Sheinkin, Steve

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250073499 ISBN 13: 9781250073495

Publisher: Square Fish, 2017

Synopsis

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and multiple-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.

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.

Steve Sheinkin is the acclaimed author of many nonfiction works, including The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, Newbery Honor Book and National Book Award Finalist Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, and National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War.

“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

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
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights:
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

About this title

About the Author:

Steve Sheinkin is the award-winning author of fast-paced, cinematic histories for young readers. He is a three-time National Book Award finalist and two-time winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. Bomb was a Newbery Honor Book and The Port Chicago 50 won the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Nonfiction. His other acclaimed books include The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Most Dangerous. Sheinkin also writes the Time Twisters series. He lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 7 Up—In a fluid, methodical style, Dominic Hoffman reads this powerful book, which tells the story of brave men who fought the entrenched system of segregation found within the U.S. military during World War II. Sheinkin (Bomb) explains that while African American men had filled the ranks of the armed forces since the beginning of the nation, their advancement and status were limited. In this epic tale, African American sailors at Port Chicago naval base in California were assigned the dangerous task of loading explosives onto cargo ships. The men had had no training and were subjected to brutal work schedules under prejudiced commanders. In July 1944, munitions exploded, killing more than 300 people, most of whom were African American. Afterwards, a group of men, known as the Port Chicago 50, refused to continue the dangerous work. They were charged with mutiny and brought to trial, found guilty, and sentenced to hard labor. The riveting text draws upon court documents and testimony, allowing listeners to hear the words of the accused as well as the lawyers. The case drew the attention of NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall and officials within the Roosevelt administration who recognized that the real issue was segregation within the military. The brave men known as the Port Chicago 50 were pioneers in what would become the Civil Rights Movement; they led the way for other men who loved their country and wanted equal rights. This is a stupendous account sure to intrigue anyone interested in history or civil rights.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel, Illinois

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1250073499
• ISBN 13: 9781250073495
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208