An astonishing civil rights tale from Newbery Honor champion and National Publication Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.

On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy bottom at Slot Chicago, California, killing a lot more than 300 sailors who had been in the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile apart. On August 9th, 244 guys refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks had been attended to. When the dust settled, fifty had been billed with mutiny, facing decades in jail as well as execution. This is a fascinating tale of the prejudice that encountered black women and men in America’s military during World Battle II, and a nuanced look at those who offered their lives operating of a country where they lacked the most basic rights.