joyfulme 's review for:

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

4.0

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This novel, written as a memoir, is so meticulously researched and its narrator so personable and natural, that it is hard to believe that it is a work of fiction. Bruchac offers a minority perspective on U.S.- Navajo relations and World War 2 that, unlike many of modern day works that attempt to do the same, keeps sight of honor and self-worth. Instead of complaining, demonizing, or condemning the oppressors, the narrator sees the humanity in his enemies. His message is one of validation and the sanctity of all life; he demonstrates a better way, a way of beauty, of peace that comes from living a life of humility and gratitude.

“Never forget, grandchildren, that we must always see all other people as human beings, worthy of respect. We must never forget… That all life is holy.”

The book has a lot to offer middle grade readers in terms of historical world building as it touches on Navajo language, culture, and folklore; it details invasions of Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa in the Pacific arena of WW2; and gives some insight into the lasting trauma of war. There is some honest depiction of war casualties, but the author is never more graphic than he has to be (ex. Trembling legs and pale face of a man shot in the neck.)
12+