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desiree930 's review for:
Code Talker: A Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two
by Joseph Bruchac
I am glad that this book exists. Too often we forget what an important role people of color have played in our country's history.
I was fascinated reading the beginning chapters of Ned's life and culture. I confess I didn't know much about the Navajo people before I picked up this book, but it felt very similar to what I know about other Native cultures, and also what I know about how those people were mistreated by white people in power.
I wish there had been more culture/social information in this story. I get that the author didn't want to bog down the narrative, but understanding the Navajo culture and Ned's feelings about his own place in the world are very important to me as a reader.
I also wish we would've had a little more about the Code Talkers themselves. It felt like this book just skimmed the surface. There was more emphasis on the battles and I wanted the emphasis to be on the people.
I didn't realize when I picked up this book that it was a fictional account. The main character, Ned Begay, doesn't exist. There are many characters mentioned in the story that did, in fact, exist, but we don't really get much of their story. It felt a little like the author was just inserting little bits here and there about them as an attempt to pay homage to them. I think I would've preferred this to be an actual non-fiction story, rather than a fictional story told in the style of a memoir.
All that said, I think that this could be a great resource for young people who are learning about Native American culture and the importance of preserving that culture. That message is very strong. The book is written in a style that I think would be very palatable to most young people. There are moments in here that are uncomfortable from a 21st century viewpoint, where characters display prejudiced views against the people they are fighting, but unfortunately I can't say that this kind of rhetoric wasn't authentic for the time. I would just say if you are a parent or teacher having young people read this book, it's important to have a real conversation with them about those aspects.
I saw on Overdrive another book written about these heroic men, and I believe it is actually non-fiction, so I think I'll definitely look into it next.
I was fascinated reading the beginning chapters of Ned's life and culture. I confess I didn't know much about the Navajo people before I picked up this book, but it felt very similar to what I know about other Native cultures, and also what I know about how those people were mistreated by white people in power.
I wish there had been more culture/social information in this story. I get that the author didn't want to bog down the narrative, but understanding the Navajo culture and Ned's feelings about his own place in the world are very important to me as a reader.
I also wish we would've had a little more about the Code Talkers themselves. It felt like this book just skimmed the surface. There was more emphasis on the battles and I wanted the emphasis to be on the people.
I didn't realize when I picked up this book that it was a fictional account. The main character, Ned Begay, doesn't exist. There are many characters mentioned in the story that did, in fact, exist, but we don't really get much of their story. It felt a little like the author was just inserting little bits here and there about them as an attempt to pay homage to them. I think I would've preferred this to be an actual non-fiction story, rather than a fictional story told in the style of a memoir.
All that said, I think that this could be a great resource for young people who are learning about Native American culture and the importance of preserving that culture. That message is very strong. The book is written in a style that I think would be very palatable to most young people. There are moments in here that are uncomfortable from a 21st century viewpoint, where characters display prejudiced views against the people they are fighting, but unfortunately I can't say that this kind of rhetoric wasn't authentic for the time. I would just say if you are a parent or teacher having young people read this book, it's important to have a real conversation with them about those aspects.
I saw on Overdrive another book written about these heroic men, and I believe it is actually non-fiction, so I think I'll definitely look into it next.