Award Winner: Most Dangerous written by: Steve Sheinkin
Most
Dangerous, written by Steve Sheinkin is a powerful nonfiction account of the
adult life of Daniel Ellsberg. The book
is the 2016 nonfiction winner of the YALSA’s award for excellence, chosen from
nonfiction books published for ages twelve through eighteen. Daniel Ellsberg has been considered a
political genius among many, earning his PhD from Harvard University. Ellsberg left college and served three years
in the Marine Corps, and grew increasingly interested in the United States’ involvement
in the Vietnam War. After completing his
time in the services, Ellsberg worked as a military analysist at the Pentagon
for years. In this job position, he was
able to hear the ins and outs of America’s support of Southern Vietnam against
the Communist government in Northern Vietnam.
What began as an unfaltering support of America’s involvement in the war
for Ellsberg, turned to a belief that the people of the United States had been
repeatedly deceived by the U.S. government, causing countless unnecessary casualties
of war. Daniel Ellsberg battled an
internal struggle for years, considering his loyalty to the president and the
government for whom he devoted countless hours supporting, versus the right of
the American people to understand the truth behind the Vietnam War. Therefore, Daniel Ellsberg leaked
confidential papers that became known as the Pentagon Papers to multiple
newspapers, beginning with the New York Times.
The Pentagon Papers outlined a history of dishonesty, spanning over a
period of twenty years and four different presidents, and set the stage for
American citizens to feel a sense of distrust towards the government claiming
to represent their beliefs. Daniel
Ellsberg describes the leak of the information, “This has been for me an act of
hope and trust. Hope that the truth will
free us of this war. Trust that informed
Americans will direct their public servants to stop lying and to stop the
killing and dying.” (pg. 171) Mr.
Ellsberg and his wife Patricia, who assisted in the copying and distributing of
the Pentagon Papers, were brought to court for violating the Espionage
Act. Although both feared a lifetime in
prison, the case was dismissed as questionable acts by the government came to
light in the courtroom, including wrongdoings surrounding the Watergate
Scandal.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, “Most
Dangerous.” Prior to reading this book,
I lacked a thorough awareness of the details surrounding the leak of the
Pentagon Papers, and anything more than a very general understanding of the
events preceding America’s participation in the Vietnam War. I believe this nonfiction award winner would
create many positive learning experiences for children with a reading level of
grade six and up. The book would offer
insight into themes such as U.S. foreign policy, wars and anti-war movements,
and/ or world history. The book is a
fascinating account of betrayal by the United States government, and one man’s
willingness to spend his life in prison in order to provide the truth and a
hope for peace. It not only offers a
historically accurate description of events, but is also a truly captivating
story of unwavering courage as one man took on the whole of the United States
government.
References
Sheinkin, Steve. 2015. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the
Secret History of the Vietnam
War. New York, New York: Roaring Brook Express.
No comments:
Post a Comment