Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII (edition 2011)

by Chester Nez, Judith Schiess Avila

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
534	15	45,234	(4.08)	20
Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. His name wasn�??t Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn�??t stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength�??both physical and mental�??to excel as a marine. During World War II, the Japanese had managed to crack every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to its Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare�??and helped assure victory for the United States over Japan in the South Pacific. INCLUDES THE ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE AND RAR… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	edspicer
Title:	Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
Authors:	Chester Nez
Other authors:	Judith Schiess Avila
Info:	Berkley Hardcover (2011), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 320 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	None

Work Information

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez (Author)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

MuhammedSalem, lmrabba, JeremyStClair, LeslieStClair, Britt.rose, johncusden, JMSteezy, ebredberg, Christy-Bates

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Lists

Best Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs (98)

Stories of War and Revolution (90)

Native American Heritage (9)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 20 mentions

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)

Chester Nez was a Navajo who grew up in the Checkerboard surrounded by a loving, traditional clan. He learns English and white ways when he is sent to boarding school. When WWII breaks out he joins the Marines and is assigned to the Code Talkers. They were involved in the most intense fighting in the Pacific and were instrumental in the Japanese defeat with the use of their code. Chester lived a very interesting life and did his best to keep the old ways alive. Very interesting life, well told. (

)

bgknighton | Jan 24, 2024 |

I was vaguely familiar with the Code Talkers prior to reading this book. I found it extremely interesting to read Chester Nez's memoir: the story about his Navajo youth at home and the beliefs engrained by his family, his life adjustments and education at boarding school, the origins of the code talkers, his strong sense of duty on-the-ground as a Marine in some of the most deadly battles in the South Pacific during WWII, and his life afterwards.

This was a captivating, page turner. (

)

mapg.genie | Apr 30, 2023 |

This is a great book to teach our students about multicultural topics. Also this book shows history and contributions of Native Americans in
World War II. Students will be able to learn part of the story that sometimes is not even taught or included in the curriculum. (

)

karlah1 | Feb 8, 2022 |

As uncomfortable as history can be for us this is an important book to read. The history of the war filled with the personal history of the author was well put together and had a good pace to the reading. A good change from the usual US History class books that are assigned to students. (

)

AlejandraIvanez | Feb 19, 2021 |

A fine personal history of the code talkers. I especially liked the part when he got home from the war and had to figure out how to assimilate himself back into American and Indian culture. (

)

ndpmcIntosh | Mar 21, 2016 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

1 review

add a review

thingScore 75

Code Talker is an excellent book on the topic of the Navajo code talkers. It provides new insight into the development of the code and the Navajo cultural and historical background.

added by Delfi_r | editArmchair General, Tim Tow (Oct 4, 2012)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Nez, Chester	Author	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Avila, Judith Schiess	Author	main author	all editions	confirmed
Bingaman, Jeff	Foreword	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Colacci, David	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has the (non-series) sequel

The Life and Times of the Code Talker by Chester Nez

▾Awards and Honors

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2011-11

People/Characters

Chester Nez

Important places

Important events

World War II

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the 420 World War II Navajo Marine code talkers - men who developed and implemented an unbreakable communications system that helped ensure the American defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific war.

When the war ended, other combatants were free to discuss their roles in the service and to receive recognition for their actions. But the Marines instructed us, the code talkers, to keep our accomplishments secret. We kept our own counsel, hiding our deeds from family, friends, and acquaintances. Our code was finally declassified in 1968, twenty-three years after the war's end.

This book may be my story, but it is written for all of these men.

May they and their loved ones walk in beauty.

First words

"I'm no hero." Chester Nez chuckles.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

This book is not the same as "The Life and Times of the Code Talker" though it is about and by the same people.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII.
His name wasn�??t Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn�??t stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength�??both physical and mental�??to excel as a marine.
During World War II, the Japanese had managed to crack every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to its Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare�??and helped assure victory for the United States over Japan in the South Pacific.
INCLUDES THE ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE AND RAR

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary