Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac.

[jemhouston]

Got this from Ace of Spades

I just finished Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac. The main character, Ned Begay, is telling the story of his life to his "grandchildren," as an elder of a tribe instructing the youth. Ned begins with his education at a Mission Boarding School, where the students are shorn (literally) of their Navajo identity and punished for speaking their native language. When Ned is 16, a Marine recruiter comes to his high school, looking for volunteers for a special project. Ned is too young and must wait a year before enlisting. The rest of his story is about island-hopping in the Pacific.

Code Talker is a YA novel, so the horrors of war and jungle fighting are mentioned, but not graphically described. Mr. Bruchac includes information and stories about real people and situations, including the prejudice the Navajo faced within their units (until they proved themselves in combat) and stateside after the War. But the point is not belabored and Ned retains his inherent dignity throughout the novel. The existence of Code Talkers was classified until 1968, so it is still relatively unknown.

I would recommend for middle-school & older, especially boys.

Posted by: March Hare at April 30, 2023 11:54 AM (WOU9P)