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The Port Chicago 50

Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

Author Steve Sheinkin
Read by Dominic Hoffman
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On sale Jan 21, 2014 | 3 Hours and 50 Minutes | 9780804167437
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An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and 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. 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.
Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories include Impossible Escape, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. Sheinkin lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children. stevesheinkin.com View titles by Steve Sheinkin

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An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and 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. 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.

Author

Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories include Impossible Escape, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. Sheinkin lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children. stevesheinkin.com View titles by Steve Sheinkin

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