Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

ONE OF TIME’S BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKS OF ALL TIME • This deeply affecting novel follows a too-young-to-enlist teenager as he becomes a Navajo Code Talker—one of the best kept secret weapons in WWII.

“Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find.”—Booklist, starred review

The United States is at war, and sixteen-year-old Ned Begay wants to join the cause—especially when he hears that Navajos are being specifically recruited by the Marine Corps. So he claims he’s old enough to enlist, breezes his way through boot camp, and suddenly finds himself involved in a top-secret task, one that’s exclusively performed by Navajos. He has become a code talker. His experiences in the Pacific—from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima and beyond—will forever change him.

Throughout World War Two, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo Code Talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years. When the war ended, they weren’t able to tell anyone—not even their families—about their true contribution.

But we now know their amazing stories, and Joseph Bruchac brings them to life through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. Code Talker honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve. It honors the culture and language of the Navajo Indians and it speaks eloquently about the brutal realities of battle.