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Code Talker: The First And Only Memoir By One Of The Original Navajo Code Talkers Of WWII (2011)

by Chester Nez(Favorite Author)

4.07 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0425244237 (ISBN13: 9780425244234)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Berkley Hardcover

review 1: I have been upping my “reading” (mostly on audio books) of books about the American West, Indian country and Indians. Code Talker came up on Audible, and I downloaded it. I started listening after a conversation with Julie, who was reading it with one of the boys in her program at Venture Prep. I found it quite moving. A lot of the book is about Chester’s experience in the South Pacific in WWII, with the amazing Navaho code at the core. But there is lots about what the marines ate (Chester’s appreciation for the food in the Marines in part reflects the scarcity of food in Boarding School), and the experience of being in a fox hole and bodies on the beach and being homesick. This was a new genre for me. I have read very few fictional or first person accounts... more of WWII, and this might be my first book about American fighters in the South Pacific. (This book made me wonder about my father’s experience as a 19 year old in the Navy.) Chester’s story is fascinating. His early experiences start with herding his grandmother’s sheep on the Checkerboard (on the Navaho reservation) in New Mexico, then being taken to the boarding school. He is one of the original young men, fluent in both Navaho and English, recruited by the Marines to work on the top secret project of developing the “unbreakable code” to win the war against Japan. His experiences in combat are recorded in the same neutral, fact- reporting tone as are the experiences of discrimination—after he returns for the war he is told that Indians can’t vote in New Mexico (something that does not change until 1948). After WWII he pursues an education, gets married and has kids. He is troubled at two different points in his life by nightmares coming from his combat experiences, and his family offer traditional Navaho healing rituals. (Clearly the Dineh had more advanced knowledge than the whites about PTSD, understanding both the need to deal with the effects of war and possessing effective traditional tools.) This is a story of a person who walks in two worlds. We know him because he was able to translate between—quite literally with the code—but also his life is characterized by his ability to live in two worlds with respect and honor.
review 2: I thought that this book was pretty interesting and really gave a good description of his past. It had a good flow and just enough excitement to keep me reading, although I wouldn't say it was one of the most amazing books I read. Most of the story takes place on the "checkerboard" or an Indian reservation, and describes what life was like back then. There are parts that take place on the battlefield as well. While reading this book, I came to an understanding that you should never judge someone by how they look, especially by their race. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys small clips of action or history. You'll enjoy the book as I did! less

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