The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights Audiobook (Free)

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.

On July 17, 1944, an enormous explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Slot Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who had been on the docks, critically injuring off-duty men within their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to return to function until unsafe and unfair circumstances in the docks had been addressed. When the dirt settled, fifty had been billed with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution. This is a fascinating story from the prejudice that experienced black women and men in America’s armed forces during World War II, and a nuanced take a look at those who gave their lives in service of a nation where they lacked the most basic rights.