Sheinkin, S. (2014). The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, mutiny and the fight for civil rights. New York, NY: Roaring Brook.
Summary: In July 1944, an explosion killed 300 African American men and injured many more. Black men were stationed at this Bay Area naval base doing the dangerous work of loading heavy explosives onto ships without any training or safety measures. White officers ordered Black men to do this work even after the explosion. This is the story of the 50 men who said they wouldn't return to this job. These men were accused of mutiny and the punishment was death by rifle. This is their story.
Review: An accessible and fascinating look at one of the greatest injustices to African Americans, and arguably the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Sheinkin makes the stories of Joe Small and his men come alive and you can't help but feel the moral contempt here. I kept wondering what I would have said or done. I only hoped to have been so brave.
Diversity: An beautiful portrayal of humanity and bravery of the Port Chicago 50.
Diversity: An beautiful portrayal of humanity and bravery of the Port Chicago 50.
Suggestions for Teachers: Teach this book for US history. Teach it as part of WWII. Teach it when teaching research and primary and secondary resources.
Reading Level:
- Quantitative: Lexile 950, ATOS Book Level 7.00-9.98, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51-10.34, 7.04-9.57 RMM
- Qualitative: This text is moderately complex. It is organized chronologically. Through personal stories, this text comes alive for readers. There is some technical vocabulary and there are lots of details that students may either be excited by or overwhelmed by, but Sheinkin does a phenomenal job of creating suspense. Knowledge of WWII and segregation will be helpful, but Sheinkin gives a lot of context for readers.
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.9
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, PTSD, trauma
Awards: N/A
Series Information: N/A
Series Information: N/A
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