Code Talkers is a great book about a Navajo Indian, fighting alongside Marines in Japanese islands as a communicator who speaks in the native language of the Navajo Indians.
Title of Book: Code Talkers
Genre of Literature (historical fiction or non-fiction): Historical Fiction
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Publisher: Penguin Group inc.
Copyright Date: 2005
Number of pages (150-page minimum): 214 pages
Setting(s): Navajo High School, USA. Japan
Main Characters – A Brief Description
Ned Begay – main character of the story, recruited to the US Marine Corps. Fights in the war as a Navajo code talker.
Georgia Boy – side character, friend of Ned Begay in Marine Corps. Fights besides him in his group. Ned helps him learn to write English.
Johnny Manuelito – side character, instructor of the Navajo corps. Helps them develop the code that is used in the war.
Mr. Lawson – teacher of the mission school, disciplines the Navajo Indians about only speaking English, hard teacher, teaches Geography —> Ned uses it to determine where they’re going.
In about 100 words, provide a brief summary of the plot of the book. Include the time period in which it takes place.
The time is near the start of WWI. Ned Begay is an Navajo Indian, taken to trade school to learn English and to hopefully gain an education to apply to the work force. When he turns about 17, a marine recruitment officer came and talked with his class about a need of soldiers in the war. Ned applies to be a soldier. He goes through training as a soldier and as a Navajo code talker. They send communication in their own language. He travels all over Japan, defeating the Japans one battle at a time. The US wins the war.
From whose point of view is the book told? How does this influence the story?
It is in the viewpoint of Ned Begay, the main character. He provides details that he knows and doesn’t know. He also influences what’s going on, that the war was very brutal, and shows us a different perspective.
What is the most important event in the book? Why is it the most important? When does this event take place in the book (page numbers)?
The most important event of the book is when Ned Begay goes into battle at Bougainville because it’s where Ned Begay’s first encounter of what war near the equator is like. It’s filled with mosquitos with malaria, foxholes, or holes that soldiers dig into the dirt, filled with human waste, and the killer attacks of the banzai attacks (p. 101-112)
Choose one character – Give a more detailed description of their role in the book, and then compare them to someone you know personally today. Use two quotes from the book to help illustrate your description – cite page numbers where the quotes are found.
Jacob Benally, in the beginning, helped the new Navajo Indians adjust to the trade school and to help them learn English. This reminds me of a person like Kristina or any Norwegian that I know personally. Kristina helped our family translate while we were in Norway last summer. She would also tell us where to go and how to do certain things we didn’t know before. She taught me how to drive a boat well. It was very fun and usefully since we live in Nebraska, where there are no lakes what so ever. Jacob Benally helped the frightened Navajos when the English speaking teacher scared them straight. He told them “…I am sorry that I must tell you something. Listen well. You are forbidden to speak Navajo. You must all speak in English or say nothing at all,” (p.17). He even show them how to say hello. “Children,’ he said in Navajo, ‘here is a word of greeting that you can say. Watch how I hold my mouth and then repeat it after me. Heh-low, heh-low, heh-low.’ As of us did as he said. We opened our mouths and made those two sounds. ‘Heh-low, heh-low, heh-low,’” (p. 17).
Use two quotes from the book to show new things you have learned about this time period in history. Explain what each quote helped you to better know or understand – cite page numbers.
“Banzai is a word that the Japanese said when they were saluting their emperor, who was sort of like a god to them. It means “ten thousand years.” That was how long they thought their new Empire of the Sun would last,” (p.123). This quote helped me understand what banzai really meant. I just thought it was a word used for suicide attacks by the Japanese, not just a solute to the emperor.
“But back then [DDT] was all we had to use. We used so much of it that there was a joke I started making. “Hey,” I’d say to the cooks in the mess hall, “my food didn’t taste so good today.” “Next time we’LL put more DDT in it,” (p.164). This quote helped me to understand what lack of knowledge about poison can do to the human body. I can’t imagine what it could do to the body.
How might our world be different today if the historical events in your book had turned out differently? Use two different examples to explain your answer.
The world would be different if the Japanese won the war against America. We would be led by a different government and lifestyle if the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombs failed. It was a way to destroy their resources.
If we didn’t have the code talkers to relay messages over public communications, our plans for attacks and counterattacks could have been heard by the Axis powers, leading to a defeat in the war.
What are three life lessons that can be learned from this book – how does each apply to your life?
I learned from this book to be who you are. The Navajo Indians didn’t change their lifestyles, they just adapted to the American lifestyle to win the war. This teaches me to be myself because I can still contribute to the things I do. I don’t have to change who I am. I also learned that life will bring you down, but you have to still fight for it. This applies to my life because life will bring me down with struggles but I have to fight also. Lastly, I learned that war is not good, that war brings countries down, as so does the lives of people. I can apply that to my life because I can spread peace and try to encourage one another when they are fighting their “wars” in life.
If you were to give this book an alternate title, what would it be? Explain why.
The Code that Won the War. I believe this because the Navajo code talkers where one of the reasons why the US won the war against Japan. They were able to set up blockades and such using the code that the Navajo Indians developed. It would still mean the same as code talkers, but it leads to the war and not for specific battles.
Explain in about 50 words why you would or would not recommend this book to your classmates.
I would recommend this book to my classmates because it has a very good storyline and convincing characters. You get to learn what it was like to be a Navajo Indian. You got to learn their lifestyle and their likes and dislikes. Even though it’s sorta a short book, it still impacts you.
Good choice for this, Derek! Thank you!