Young Adult Non-Fiction Review
Code Talker
by Joseph Bruchac
A young adult non-fiction novel, I checked this title out because I was very interested in the important work they did with codes in WWII and especially liked it because it was a first- person account from the Navajo, Joseph Bruchac. He addresses us as “grandchildren” and gives insight into what life was like for the Navajos in general, which I found fascinating. As a boy of 14, his journey begins at school and two years later he was in the military. (A year too soon, actually.)
We are with him in the story as it unfolds until the end of the war and a short time afterward. I learned a lot! For instance, did you know there were two different pictures of the five Marines lifting the American flag up on top of the mountain at Iwo Jima?
Another reason I liked this book was because it reminded me of the stories my dad used to tell us about his time in the war. I thought of him often as I was listening.
I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook over reading the paperback because some Navajo is spoken, and when you hear it, you’ll understand why it was so useful. I recommend this title for anyone interested in this subject from teen and up. It has absolutely NO bad language, but some descriptions might disturb young readers - although, not overly descriptive as are some movies today.
