Written in the voice of a grandfather passing along his story to his grandchildren, this novel introduces life on a reservation, Indian Schools, Army induction and training... Bruchac also presents key Pacific battles of WWII from the perspective of a foot soldier responsible for communication through the Navajo language. The use of the code itself is interesting, but the story of Ned Begay is even more so. ( )

Grandfather presents his wartime story to grandkids. All characters (except two) and events actually happened. Story begins as a young child in an Indian school and goes to boot camp and on to the war. Discusses the ridicule shown towards Indians, their customs and language.

This is the story of the Navajo code talkers in WWII. It is told by as a first person narrative, with an emphasis on the irony of using the Navajo language decried by white teachers as the epitome of useless, to defend America. The tale is by a grandfather to his grandchildren, to us who listen with respect. The historicity of the story is fascinating and I definitely learned a great deal about the code talkers, but the very success of the stylistic choice kept it from being great. Sometimes it just felt a little to real like a beloved grandfather telling a story, rather than a well crafted tale, ( )

Reagan Kaufman
EDCI 5210-Dr. Rush
Summer 2008

Bruchac, J. (2005). Code Talker. New York: Dial Books.

Grade Level: 6-9
Category: historical fiction
Read-alouds: the dedication, pp. 19-25 (“killing the Indian”); pp. 34-35, 38-39 (contrast the Navajo Tribal Council edict with treatment from military); pp. 183-187 (Black Beach)

Summary: Using first-person flashbacks, a grandfather tells his grandchildren about life in Indian schools and as a leatherneck in the U.S. Marine Corp. Kii Yazhi, later called Ned Begay, is sent to a school where the mission to is “kill the Indian, save the man.” Through an act of civil disobedience, Ned clings to his native tongue, a move that would later aid the United States in World War Two. The novel unveils facts and characters behind a top secret code that helped the United States win the war.

Themes: Respect for others, for culture, for life is paramount to all else—this is a major theme of Code Talker. Bruchac uses irony well to play up this theme. Class discussions could revolve around the irony of how the U.S. government wanted to kill a language that later saved them or discuss if war is a necessary evil. The famous photograph of soldiers raising a flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal, should be shown and discussed in the context of the novel’s discussion of the Black Beach landing.

Discussion questions:
• Discuss the role of propaganda in the novel. How did propaganda lead to the creation of Indian schools? How did the U.S. and Japan use propaganda to help their war efforts?
• In what ways does respect for cultures evolve through the novel?
• In what ways does viewing WWII from an American Indian’s perspective help round out the study of the war?

Reader Response: Though I’ve heard of code talkers, I’ve never read much about them or their assignment. I was excited to learn about the war and their task from an American Indian perspective. This novel had a lot of facts and information; unfortunately, it read like a textbook. The amount of information was a burden and the author’s switch from the past to the present was abrupt and confusing. While certain parts of the book were eye opening, like the dedication and the description of the Iwo Jima landing, most of it felt like a lecture. I did not relate to the main character and I do not see students relating to him either. Of major concern to me was the fact that the novel held to the “sacred” telling of American history. At parts it was demonizing to the Japanese. I can understand this to some extent; many veterans were/are racist toward Japanese. However, I think the author had an opportunity demonstrate that viewing history through various cultural lenses is important and he failed to do that. He presses on the importance of diversity while demeaning another culture group. That’s irony I bet he didn’t count on. ( )

i haven't read it yet ( )