hopegirl0727 's review for:

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

4.0

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Excellent novel about Navajo code talkers during WWII. I was worried that this book was going to be very graphic -- wartime so often is. Somehow, instead, the author managed to get across the seriousness of war while humanizing the enemy and sparing the reader some of the gorier details. There were still stories of sadness and horror, but everything was done in a very humane way. This story was all about hope, perseverance, and honor. I appreciated how the narrator didn't ignore racism or prejudice, but found productive, positive ways to fight it. He understood that the best way to show people he wasn't what they thought of him was to prove himself and to defy all their expectations. I understand that this doesn't always work, but I appreciate a different narrative every one in a while, you know? I really liked that this book was patriotic but not pandering. It was serious without being weighed down by its own sense of self-importance. I'd definitely recommend this book to basically anyone, but especially young boys.