Saturday, September 6, 2014

Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin

Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin
Scholastic
2014

Goodreads:
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. This is a fascinating story of the prejudice 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.

1 comment:

  1. An even in history that I had never heard of. Inside look at prejudice that is not pretty, but heroic stories of men who pushed the Navy and the United States to look in the mirror and realize that they needed to tend to our homegrown issues of freedom as well as fighting for freedom overseas.

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