The Port Chicago 50

The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin, 200 pages

This book is an account of the actions of fifty African American Naval men accused of mutiny during World War II.  At that time, all branches of the Armed Forces were segregated and African Americans were only allowed to be on board ships as mess attendants.  The group of people in Port Chicago were responsible for loading explosives on board ships.  After an explosion destroys a ship, killing 320 people, several of the men were afraid to go back to loading, feeling that the cause of the explosion was directly related to some of the unsafe practices being employed by the Naval officers.  In the end, fifty men refused to go back to work and were court martialed and tried for mutiny.  This is a case that I knew nothing about before reading this book.  It was well written and clear and showed not only what was happening with the trial but also the discrimination African Americans were subjected to in both the Armed Forced and the country in general.  I would definitely recommend this to any kid or teen interested in reading about civil rights.