BookPage Children's Top Pick, October 2015
With one action, Daniel Ellsberg became the most celebrated, most reviled and most dangerous man in America. Most Dangerous, by award-winning author Steve Sheinkin, tells the story of how Ellsberg, an unknown government analyst, compiled and then released 20 years of governmental records, reports and documents about the Vietnam War. These became known as the Pentagon Papers, revealing deception that ran across four presidencies and forever altered the way the American public viewed politicians.
Sheinkin once again offers a story that is compelling and eminently readable, while also being informative and immaculately researched. Labeled at the time as “the greatest story of the century,” this exposure of the Vietnam War—and the fallout from the release of the Pentagon Papers—has now been relegated to a dry chapter in history books. With themes of patriotism, free speech, honesty and power, Most Dangerous draws readers into this pivotal moment in American history and shows them how one act of bravery, or treason, can change everything.
This article was originally published in the October 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
