Most Dangerous

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, by Ruta Sepetys

Publication Information: New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2015

Summary: It is the summer of 1964, Daniel Ellsberg is a Pentagon employee who is helping to plan the Vietnam War.  Vietnam has secretly been involved with the United States in the cold war against russia.  Ellsberg is fully committed to the government's military undertaking, hoping to stop the spread of communism. 

The turning point for Ellsberg occurred in 1965 when visiting Vietnam.  the dead were piled in warehouses, U.S. success measured inthe number of corpses of "kills".  Ellsberg vowed to unmask the atrocities and lies about the Vietnam conflict.  He had access to top secret information that if revealed, would expose the U.S. governemnt deception.  Ellsberg steals the top secret information adn helps to publish what is known as the Pentagon Papers. 

Sheinkin has written a fast, paced adn intriguing book that reads like a mystery.  The story ranges from court battles, first amendment rights, breaks ins, and the very real life of Daniel Ellsberg who risked everything to expose the truth. 

Author Interview:

Read-a-Likes:

Courage & Defience: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, adn Survivors in World War II Denmark, by Deborah Hopkinson

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina adn New Orleans, by Don Brown

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, adn Treachery, by Steve Sheinkin

Links of Interest:

Author website:  stevesheinkin.com

Timeline of Events:  HERE

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