Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five: Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

I've been meaning to read this non-fiction teen book, the latest from award-winning author Steve Sheinkin, ever since I read reviews of it last fall.  I finally checked it out from the library, and then lo and behold, at yesterday morning's Youth Media Awards at the ALA Midwinter Conference, it won the prize for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults awarded by YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association, part of the American Library Association).  So I bumped it to the top of my list of library books to be read next (though I have mixed feelings about reading books just because they've won an award).  Although this book is written for teens, it did not feel dumbed down or over-simplified (perhaps this is due to my overwhelming ignorance about the Vietnam War and the Pentagon Papers, but I think not), and I found it to be a clear and compelling overview of how Daniel Ellsberg evolved from a U.S. Marine and a firm Cold Warrior into the anti-war activist who leaked top-secret government documents to newspapers across the country.  This book portrays Ellsberg in a favorable light while also emphasizing the complexity of any decision-making and is likely to raise many questions and strong feelings (whether favorable or not) in its readers.  I found it a fascinating look into a war and era I know little about, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants an introduction to the topic, or who enjoys nonfiction about history or government, or who simply wants an interesting read.