Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed the first part of the book, where Chester Nez talked about his childhood, and then I guess the middle part where he talked about being a code talker. But the ending part, where he talked about the entire rest of his life, felt rather rushed. I wasn't wild about the writing style overall. It felt flat a lot of the time. But I liked about the first 2/3 of the book well enough, and I think the historical significance makes it well worth a read.
This was a really well put together memoir of a point of history people may know about but not in such a personalized way. It is amazing to know so many stories of heroism despite the fact that at this time Native Americans did not even have the right to vote. It is an extraordinary story done with lovely narrative.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
How this book found its way onto my TBR: No idea. It must have been a suggestion on Audible. I've had the book for quite some time. This term, I had two students from the Ho-Chunk nation in my public speaking classes speak to issues related to indigenous communities. I learned a lot from them and was so fortunate that they wanted to share their culture. So it seemed like a great time to listen to this audiobook!
The primary author of this book is Chester Nez. This is the name he received when he went to residential schools, whose primary purpose was to separate students from their indigenous cultures. Judith Schiess Avila is a code talker scholar and conducted over 80 hours of interviews with Nez, and she eventually wrote the book from his perspective. She clearly fact-checked her interview material, but she also gave Nez the benefit when she couldn't back up what he was saying. She found his story and his memory of events to be more compelling, and I appreciated her candor and decision.
The book follows Nez's early life with his family, his time in residential schools, his time serving as a marine code talker, and his life after his service. This book is the the first and only memoir by one of the original 29 code talkers; he was also the final living original code talker. Nez's style is fairly descriptive and informative. He doesn't really get into politics or go off on tangents. He shares what he remembers and his own thoughts as they pertained to what happened. I appreciated when he would explain Navajo culture and how it led to his dedication to his community and the country.
The book is roughly 50% about his marine training and his participation in both WWII and the Korean War. War novels are not really my thing, but I was really impressed that he was brought on as a code talker but had to go through the full marine training. I'm also glad that he and his colleagues received recognition (though of course, far too late).
I saw at least one review here that bombed the book because they don't appreciate hearing about how the United States has historically (cough cough currently) treats indigenous communities like garbage. Chester Nez, for his part, remains pretty impartial and provides his own perspective on what happens.
I'm glad I decided to listen to this book. David Colacci narrates this book, and he does a pretty good job. Delightfully, there is a short interview at the end of the book with both Nez and Avila. It's short and not super interesting; if you've read the book, none of the material is new. You don't hear as much from Nez, but he's into his 90s by that point.
The primary author of this book is Chester Nez. This is the name he received when he went to residential schools, whose primary purpose was to separate students from their indigenous cultures. Judith Schiess Avila is a code talker scholar and conducted over 80 hours of interviews with Nez, and she eventually wrote the book from his perspective. She clearly fact-checked her interview material, but she also gave Nez the benefit when she couldn't back up what he was saying. She found his story and his memory of events to be more compelling, and I appreciated her candor and decision.
The book follows Nez's early life with his family, his time in residential schools, his time serving as a marine code talker, and his life after his service. This book is the the first and only memoir by one of the original 29 code talkers; he was also the final living original code talker. Nez's style is fairly descriptive and informative. He doesn't really get into politics or go off on tangents. He shares what he remembers and his own thoughts as they pertained to what happened. I appreciated when he would explain Navajo culture and how it led to his dedication to his community and the country.
The book is roughly 50% about his marine training and his participation in both WWII and the Korean War. War novels are not really my thing, but I was really impressed that he was brought on as a code talker but had to go through the full marine training. I'm also glad that he and his colleagues received recognition (though of course, far too late).
I saw at least one review here that bombed the book because they don't appreciate hearing about how the United States has historically (cough cough currently) treats indigenous communities like garbage. Chester Nez, for his part, remains pretty impartial and provides his own perspective on what happens.
I'm glad I decided to listen to this book. David Colacci narrates this book, and he does a pretty good job. Delightfully, there is a short interview at the end of the book with both Nez and Avila. It's short and not super interesting; if you've read the book, none of the material is new. You don't hear as much from Nez, but he's into his 90s by that point.
this book will make you angry at injustice and joyful at the greatness that can be borne from that it
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
The amazing story of one of the original Diné (Navajo) code talkers, well contextualized in American and Diné history. A vital read.
Code Talker is a fabulous tribute to the original 32 Navajo code talkers. Chester Nez's memoir provides a significant amount of background, detailing the lives that these courageous men left behind in order to provide a valuable and critical service to the United States. Having never seen the film, Windtalkers, I now intend to watch the film. I suspect that many books contain inaccuracies and lack the detail that this memoir provides so openly.
I highly recommend this book and believe it would make an excellent addition to a high school reading list, particularly for students of American history,
I highly recommend this book and believe it would make an excellent addition to a high school reading list, particularly for students of American history,