The Port Chicago 50
I’m in the midst of the ALSC Institute here in Oakland, where we just listened to Steve Sheinkin give the opening session talk about his approach to writing history, with The Port Chicago 50 story as his centerpiece. My Boston Globe Horn Book committee awarded it this May, and it just showed up on the NBA longlist this week.
This civil rights story has many layers: the racism in the military in the 40s leading to a horrible disaster, a group of young men standing up for themselves and an outrageous charge of mutiny…that more outrageously was never overturned. Sheinkin has taken a piece of history that’s barely ever been told, using interviews collected by historian Robert Allen (in what itself makes an amazing story of detective work). He brings his layers together succinctly, grippingly, in a nicely paced and well-designed package.
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I know that Jonathan is not as big a fan of this as I am, and others have mentioned to me that the story feels “unfinished.” But this is not a piece of history that is, really, finished, nor have enough people studied it to be able to create a tightly crafted arc as Sheinkin was able to do in BOMB. Yet I think this is his best work…the gaps and leaps in the story leave an opening for the reader, with stellar-quality prose that invites them at a high level to participate in the story.
I sense that a lot of people haven’t read this yet…but, you better.
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About Nina Lindsay
Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com
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Okay, okay! 🙂 I’ve been *meaning* to read this forever — I actually have an ARC. But maybe this will be motivation to finally get around to it!
It’s not that the first half of this book was mundane, it’s that having read virtually every civil rights book published for children in the past dozen years, it just feels too familiar to me. I know that’s an adult response that many, if not most, children will not share. For me, on the other hand, the second half–the act of defiance and the court martial–is where this story really came to life and became one of the better books of the year.
Nina mentions this is his best book, but I’d still definitely take BOMB and BENEDICT ARNOLD over this one. This sentiment, too, is out of bounds in terms of Newbery discussion as THE PORT CHICAGO is only competing against other books published this year.
Is it better than THE FAMILY ROMANOV? Nope. Even when I take into account that I’m biased toward big epic historical treatment (hey, I liked BOMB after all), I cannot see this as anything more than second best.
So…I’m about halfway through FAMILY ROMANOV. Getting there. Not ready to make these two duke it out against each other, yet, myself.
What about the beginning of this book was mundane?? To me, it was critical context setting for the intended audience to tell these related stories that explain what it was like to sign up for the Navy as a Black Man in WWII. Think of this as a readers first entree to WWII history beyond the textbook version.
One of the things that I think sometimes clouds our evaluation of nonfiction (and historical fiction, too) is how much new information we learned. If we learned a lot then we’re inclined to think more highly of it, whereas if it covers familiar territory then we find it lacking in one thing or another. Perhaps I myself have fallen prey to that with this book. Of course, children will read the book differently than I will. Still, how do we overcome the feeling that something isn’t as fresh or new as we would like?
This (and Monica’s response below), to me, makes for a fascinating discussion that feels eerily similar to the question we seem to grapple with every year, which is: how do we separate the emotional impact of a story from its literary merits? How can you take books such as OKAY FOR NOW or WONDER (to use two recent examples), which pack such an emotional gut-punch, and give them a thorough and clear-eyed read, opening your mind to flaws related to the Newbery criteria? In my mind you have to give them a second read. Maybe that will do it in the case of NF where some (or all) of the material is familiar to us as adults, too… I don’t have the answers myself, but it’s an interesting conundrum. I personally find myself revisiting Vicky Smith’s post from last year over and over to remind myself not to go with the knee-jerk reactions I have to both genres/styles I hate AND genres/styles I love.
I read and enjoyed PORT CHICAGO 50 and particularly enjoyed how well the characters were delineated. I know it couldn’t be brought up in a real discussion but compared to last year’s civil rights ww2 book where the soldiers weren’t characters, each character here felt like an individual which is a credit to Sheinkin’s writing. I am impressed by how he fleshes out so many of these men with so few words.
Has anyone read RED MADNESS by Gail Jarrow? It’s my favorite nonfiction title this year. (I haven’t read FAMILY ROMANOV yet, though it’s on deck).
Jonathan’s question “Still, how do we overcome the feeling that something isn’t as fresh or new as we would like?” is an interesting one. I do indeed look for fresh and original when reading books on topics with which I’m very familiar. I find that as exciting as reading about something new. One difficulty I find in our discussions though is the reverse. When a writer brings new and/or overlooked information to readers in his/her book, enthusiasm is often so powerful that it is hard to point out flaws.
Monica, your “reverse” point is as apt here as Jonathan’s, and is where I find myself checking my own enthusiasm, because of the power of this previously untold (for this audience) story. I think I’m still right about it standing above its flaws, which I have a feeling we’ll get into a little later in the season, with more readers.
I have only read @half of this one, but can already see the power of the storytelling and the delineation of the characters. I LOVED BOMB last year – what a great non-fiction writer! After the
greatness of REVOLUTION, and BROWN GIRL DREAMING, and JOSEPHINE, and FREEDOM SUMMER MURDERS, it does seem that it would be hard to make our all-too familiar history feel fresh and new. I like the reminder that children would not be as familiar with that history. I will reserve my final words for when I finish the rest of the book – but I will say I am glad it is on our list!Nina, I am jealous that you got to hear Steve in person this weekend…..
I think Sheinkin’s book can invite direct comparison with REVOLUTION despite being non-fiction. Stylistically, his prose is quite “fiction-y” such that you almost think some of this has to be the author’s imaginative reconstruction, putting words in people’s mouths, etc. except it isn’t. But is his vivid, put-you-there writing better than Wiles’ similarly-directed prose? I don’t think so.
Sheinkin’s is also an “opinionated” non-fiction. Are his reflections and messages about racism as rich and nuanced as Wiles’? Again I don’t think so. (And if you think this is not apples-to-apples, just compare to the “opinionated” biography sections of REVOLUTION. Surely that’s fair?)
Leonard, this is very interesting comparison, and I’m looking forward to lining up some of these passages. I do think we have to make room to acknowledge that “opinionated nonfiction” (which all nonfiction is, really, some just more admittedly than others) and “documentary fiction” are different frameworks that set up a certain expectation in the audience. The approaches may be very similar in the end, and we can compare them, for the exercise, as apples-to-apples, but then we also have to ask how well did the authors each achieve what they have “promised” to their audience, based on how they are presenting their work.
I definitely think The Port Chicago 50 was an unmentioned story that was made a very distinguished
Newbery book. But so far this year I have read many more distinguished books like The Night Gardener. The Night Gardener developed the characters so well. I would like to see The Night Gardener get mentioned.
port chicago 50 unfortunately is not in my top 5. when i first began reding it, i felt the book was boring and just dragged out. usually when reading a book, most people read to about page 50 and the book does not however get interesting until about page 60. therefore i do not believe port chicago 50 meets the newberry criteria.