Port Chicago 50.

Sheinkin, Steve.  Port Chicago 50.  Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press  2014 193p  $19.99  ISBN 978-1-59643-796-8  ms/hs  Nonfiction  E-BN

This book depicts an astounding event that changed the course of American history.  Steve Sheinkin believes he stumbled on the Port Chicago 50 accidentally while researching another book; readers will think he was meant to tell the story of a group of African Americans that was treated unfairly by the U. S. Navy, for he tells the story with an excellent narrative writing style and organizational ability.  Assigned to load bombs and other explosive materials at Port Charles, a group of African Americans had the courage to stand up for their rights after a huge explosion killed more than 300 men.  Many refused to work after the explosion, challenging the commands of their white superiors.  They were wrongfully blamed for causing a mutiny, especially Joe Small, the alleged ringleader.  Under conditions that would have broken lesser men, the Port Chicago 50 endured defeat in a trial at the hands of a segregated navy who convinced itself that its way was the right way.  Without the determination of the fifty, the support they received from young lawyer Thurgood Marshall, and advocates such as Eleanor Roosevelt, family members and other groups like the NAACP, these fifty might have remained in jail and been afforded a negative place in history.  Instead, they retained their dignity, never giving up despite untold unfair conditions and bigotry. 

All great movements -- in this case, the civil rights movement – have precursors.   This story is enhanced by powerful quotations and photographs which, when combined with Sheinkin’s attention to detail, add a new voice to American history.                  

Summary: This book depicts an astounding event that changed the course of American history, the story of the Port Chicago 50.  Assigned to load bombs and other explosive materials at Port Charles, a group of African Americans had the courage to stand up for their rights after an explosion killed more than 300 men, and endured defeat in the navy trial that followed, paving the way for the nascent Civil Rights Movement.    

Civil rights, African Americans                 -–Martha Squaresky

Sheinkin, Steve. Lincoln’s Grave Robbers.

Sheinkin, Steve.  Lincoln’s Grave Robbers.  Scholastic Press  2013  214p  $16.99  978-0-545-40572-0     elm/ms    Nonfiction  E-BN 

Benjamin Boyd was an expert counterfeiter.  The US government was always after him and his cohorts in crime.  Finally, after many arrests and releases, they had him behind bars.  However, his stay in prison was choking his cohorts’ counterfeit proceeds.  So, when their supplies were running dry, they hatched a plot to spring Benjamin from jail.
    

Big Jim and the Logan County Gang decided to snatch the body of Abraham Lincoln from his grave, hide it, and ransom it for $200,000 from the government.

It was up to Patrick Tyrell, secret service agent, to prevent this occurrence and capture the counterfeiters.  Capturing these men was not an easy feat, as they attempted grave robbing, eluded arrest, and caused Lincoln’s casket to be moved many times.  All in all, Agent Tyrell’s last report noted that the “busting up of the plot to steal Lincoln’s body had cost the U.S. government $393.32.”

The book is a great read for young readers, showing them that criminal activity does not really pay off. It also allows readers to see what life in the 1870’s was like.  Although it is a non-fiction book, it reads like a fiction thriller.
    

The book includes a detailed index, a glossary of phrases, and source notes. This will be useful in research.          

Abraham Lincoln, Grave robbing, Counterfeiting, Secret Service

                                                            --Linda McNeil

Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon.

Sheinkin, Steve.  Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. 

Roaring Brook Press see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group          265p  $19.99   978-1-59643-487-5         2012      ms/hs  E-BN  Nonfiction                                                   

The intellectual battle waged between physicists on both sides of the world in World War II was just as fierce as any land or sea military battle.  Almost everyone has a basic understanding of the secret military project that developed the atomic bomb in World War II.  Less well-known to teenage readers is the large network of spies that Russia used to gain information about how to make a bomb and how Russia was able to get their spies into Los Alamos.  With numerous quotes, this book describes the recruitment of those spies, how they infiltrated the inner core of bomb makers, and how they communicated their knowledge to Russia.  It also provides a personalized look at the physicists and military personnel involved in building the bomb and flying it to Japan.  The book reads like a movie script - fast paced, with enough quirky comments and quotations to keep the reader constantly involved.  The spy missions to bomb the heavy water facility in Norway and to keep Hitler from becoming the first to successfully build an atomic bomb are interwoven with the narrative of what was happening on the American side of the world. This book provides an outstanding look at “the gadget” and its development.  The last chapter focuses on the after effects on the people who created it, its impact on the war, and continued concern about its use. Source notes, index, and photos complete the book.                                   

Atomic Bomb                                                                                                                                                        --Lois McNicol

 

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold
Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub 2010 338p 19.99 978-1-59643-486-8 ms/hs VG


Benedict Arnold’s is written about in this easy to read book that highlights his accomplishments and his most shameful event that made him a traitor to the country. The author has written and researched a very readable book about a famous villain in American history. He shows the triumphs and downfalls of Arnold. The background that is provided with the text allows the readers to better understand the social and political situations of the time period. Additional information is found in the Source notes in the back of the book.
I must admit that Benedict Arnold was not someone whom I knew a lot about before reading this book. However, the author really brought Arnold to be a believable person for the reader. It helped the reader understand why Arnold acted as he did and why the political and military implications were so drastic.
I also think it was great that you followed the path of Arnold to Quebec because your descriptions were further enhanced by your travels.
This is a great read that should be in any middle school that touches on this period in American history. Historical McNeil, Linda