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.


這本令人震驚的民權故事，為紐伯瑞銀牌獎得主及美國國家圖書獎入圍者 Steve Sheinkin 所著。1944 年 7 月 17 日，一場大規模爆炸，撼動了加州芝加哥港被隔離的海軍基地，造成碼頭上超過 300 多名水兵罹難，許多在休息的未值勤士兵也因爆炸而身受重傷，連遠在一英哩外的窗戶都炸得支離破碎。同年的 8 月 9 日，244 名士兵拒絕回到崗位，要求先解決海軍基地不安全和不公平的狀況。就在一切塵埃落定之際，50 名士兵遭控叛變，面臨數十年的牢獄之災，甚至是死刑。這個故事引人入勝，描寫二戰期間，美國軍隊中黑人面臨的歧視問題，以及那些為國家奉獻生命的人，竟無法享有基本權利的情況。