"Some of the things those generals wrote made me feel so good that I almost laughed out loud. Remember, grandchildren, like so many other Navajos, I had grown up hearing only criticism and hard words from the bilagaanaas about our people. We Navajos were stupid. We were lazy. We could not be taught anything. We could never be as good as any white man. To hear what was now being said truly made the sun shine in my heart" (p. 136-137).
SUMMARY
Code Talkers is the story of a sixteen year old Navajo boy, Ned Begay, and his desire to enlist with the Marines Corps during World War II. The Navajo Indians have been specially recruited by the Marines for their unique language. Ned lies about his age to enlist, and ultimately ends up taking part in one of the most unique and helpful tasks given to our Navajo soldiers during that time, becoming a code talker. The story follows Ned's journey from a very early age when he is sent of to boarding school. It continues through his experiences at war in the Pacific, and finishes back home again with many of the racial and prejudices he escaped for some time while at war, still very much a part of the world he was living in .
MY REACTIONS
The thing that touched me the most about this novel was the raw emotion and humor Ned brought to the recalling of these historical events. His grueling journey through racism and war was very raw, and it helped me create an aesthetic reading experience that opened my eyes and gave me a clearer picture for what life was like for these young Navajo soldiers. Bruchac did a fabulous job at developing his protagonist character; Ned was very insightful. One of my favorite lines was found on page 67, "All through Indian school we had been taught that white men knew everything. That day, for the first time, I realized several things. The first was the the bilagaanaas are not born knowing everything. The second was that in many of the most important ways, white men are no different from Navajos. The third? That no matter who they are, people can always learn from each other." Now that is a powerful message to be sending our students!
I also enjoyed the humor that Ned brought to the relationships he had with other characters. One of my favorite parts of the story was when Ned returned from war and entered a bar hoping for a Coke. The sign said "NO INDIANS SERVED HERE", and when the bartender started harassing Ned asking him, "Can't you read, you stupid Navajo?" Ned responded that he didn't want an Indian; he wanted a Coke. Although comments like this showed Ned's humor, it also showed the reader that despite the fact war had changed Ned, many of the aspects in his world that had made him ashamed and saddened as a child still existed. It didn't matter that he had fought for America's freedom, and it didn't matter that he had made white friends at war and they would have died for him; in the eyes of those prejudiced bilagaanaas in that bar, he was just another stupid Navajo (p. 210).
Bruchac does an amazing job at honoring the culture and language of the Navajo Indians, but I did find that his dialogue often made the story line more difficult to follow. Perhaps it is because I am not as familiar with Marine Corps and war vernacular, but regardless, I thought it was a very good read.
IDEAS TO EXPLORE WITH THIS NOVEL
This novel would tie in beautifully with an 8th grade social studies curriculum, which explores United States History. Other possible reading activities include:
- Create a Navajo vocabulary journal with definitions provided in the book
- Use a map (or create a Google Lit Trip) to trace Ned's World War II journey
- Pretend you are a character from the book that Ned positively influenced. Write a letter to Ned showing your appreciation for the changes he made in your life
- Infer how Ned would feel about society today. Would he be proud of his Navajo tribal members and their contributions to society and preserving their cultural roots? Would he be proud of U.S. citizens and their attempts to fulfill their promise that "all men are created equal"?
Loved the book
ReplyDelete