MOST DANGEROUS: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR by Steve Sheinkin is a powerful, nonfiction narrative exploring issues of war, espionage, and government trust.
Written for young adults, Sheinkin skillfully tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg, an analyst who exposes decades of government deceit. Tracing Ellsberg’s life from his boyhood through to the end of the Vietnam War, the author weaves together an unbiased look at the man who exposed what became known as the Pentagon Papers.
Librarians will find a large audience for this book among the growing YA fans of narrative nonfiction. In addition, the combination of war and government secrets will be attractive to readers who enjoy military and spy stories.
Youth will be drawn to connections with recent whistleblowers like Edward Snowden described in the book’s epilogue.
For many librarians who remember this time period or have read books like “All the President’s Men”, this provocative biography will help put the time period in context and revisit the key issues and events in an easy to digest chronology.
Look for this title on the “best of 2015” lists.
Learn more about the author at http://stevesheinkin.com/.
Published by Roaring Brook Press an imprint of Macmillan on September 22, 2015. ARC from publisher.
