When thinking about Vietnam
and the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg’s name comes immediately to mind. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret
History of the Vietnam War, a non-fiction work by Steve Sheinkin,
tells Ellsberg’s story in detail. In
addition to the informative text, there are plenty of pictures, maps and a cast
of characters that covers four pages.
All of this combines to lead students to a fuller appreciation of the
issues involved. Today’s students may debate
whether Daniel Ellsberg was more or less
principled than Edward Snowden, but they will certainly draw parallels.
This week, I will be handing
our copy of Most Dangerous to students who are studying Modern
America and the “social wars” of the 1960s and 1970s. In our high school library, we have several other
books written by Sheinkin who is a National Book Award Finalist and the author
of Bomb, a Newbery Honor Book. In Most Dangerous, Sheinkin
has once again thoroughly researched his topic, providing roughly thirty-five
pages of source notes and bibliographic citations.
Starred reviews from Booklist,
Kirkus, Horn Book, Publishers Weekly, School Library
Journal and VOYA.
