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Thomas H. Begay and the Navajo Code Talkers
The life story of this World War II Navajo Code Talker introduces middle-grade readers to an unforgettable person and offers a close perspective on aspects of Navajo (or Diné) history and culture. Thomas H. Begay was one of the young Navajo men who, during World War II, invented and used a secret, unbreakable communications code based on their native Diné language to help win the war in the Pacific. Although the book includes anecdotes from other code talkers, its central narrative revolves around Begay. It tells his story, from his birth near the Navajo reservation, his childhood spent herding sheep, his adolescence in federally mandated boarding schools, and ultimately, his decision to enlist in the US Marine Corps. Alysa Landry relies heavily on interviews with Begay, who, as of this writing, is in his late nineties and one of only three surviving code talkers. Begay’s own voice and sense of humor make this book particularly significant in that it is the only Code Talker biography for young readers told from a soldier’s perspective. Begay was involved with the book every step of the way, granting Landry unlimited access to his military documents, personal photos, and oral history. Additionally, Begay’s family contributed by reading and fact-checking the manuscript. This truly is a unique collaborative project.
136 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 7, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Thomas was born in 1926 in New Mexico, where his parents raised eight children in a hogan, a log structure with a dirt floor. At the time, there was a lot less technology, and many Navajo communities still were able to hold onto traditional ways; Thomas' birthday is unsure because his family didn't follow the traditional white calendar. When he was 13, his father sent him to a boarding school for Native American children in Fort Defiance, Arizona, hoping that he would get an education and have more opportunities. There, he met with a lot of condemnation of his culture. He was given a last name, rather at random, and his teachers tried to get him to dress and act more like white society. When he was old enough, World War II was raging.
Landry is upfront about the fact that she is not a Native writer, and that she worked closely with Begay to tell his story, and also did extensive research in order to get the details right.
It's good that this book gives a lot of background information on various aspects of culture that affected Begay's life. To me, his years in boarding school would make fascinating reading, but when he worked on this biography with the author, I'm sure his years in the army were more interesting to him. After the first chapter, which outlines his young life, there is a chapter on the history of treatment of Native people, especially Navajos. In a similar way, there is a lot of background information on the inclusion of Native codebreakers in the army, and an entire chapter on code which young readers will find very informative.
Begay and the other men in the 382nd Marine platoon were sent to the Pacific theater, where they used their skills to successfully send coded messages. They were also part of the D-Day operation at Iwo Jima, and three of the group were killed. There are lots of details about the code breaking and fighting that will definitely appeal to hard core World War II buffs.
There is a fantastic timeline at the end of the book, along with a glossary. Words are in bold print throughout the book, and readers who don't know them can easily flip to the back. There isn't a note about this at the beginning; I would have formatted the book so that the words were defined in a box at the side of the page, rather like a text book. There's no space for that, but there are a lot of good black and white pictures to support the text.
I had not realized that the Navajo Code Talkers were not allowed to talk about their work until the late 1960s, but there is a chapter talking about the problems that the men faced after the war, and a lot about the legacy of the code talkers and the efforts Begay, who is 96 and still active, has taken to keep this legacy alive. Readers who enjoyed Spradlin's John Basilone: World War II: Bravery at Guadalcanal or Weintraub's No Better Friend will be enthralled by the war time experience of Begay and his platoon, and readers who are interested in Native history will find a lot of information they might not have known.
Thomas was born in 1926 in New Mexico, where his parents raised eight children in a hogan, a log structure with a dirt floor. At the time, there was a lot less technology, and many Navajo communities still were able to hold onto traditional ways; Thomas' birthday is unsure because his family didn't follow the traditional white calendar. When he was 13, his father sent him to a boarding school for Native American children in Fort Defiance, Arizona, hoping that he would get an education and have more opportunities. There, he met with a lot of condemnation of his culture. He was given a last name, rather at random, and his teachers tried to get him to dress and act more like white society. When he was old enough, World War II was raging.
Landry is upfront about the fact that she is not a Native writer, and that she worked closely with Begay to tell his story, and also did extensive research in order to get the details right.
It's good that this book gives a lot of background information on various aspects of culture that affected Begay's life. To me, his years in boarding school would make fascinating reading, but when he worked on this biography with the author, I'm sure his years in the army were more interesting to him. After the first chapter, which outlines his young life, there is a chapter on the history of treatment of Native people, especially Navajos. In a similar way, there is a lot of background information on the inclusion of Native codebreakers in the army, and an entire chapter on code which young readers will find very informative.
Begay and the other men in the 382nd Marine platoon were sent to the Pacific theater, where they used their skills to successfully send coded messages. They were also part of the D-Day operation at Iwo Jima, and three of the group were killed. There are lots of details about the code breaking and fighting that will definitely appeal to hard core World War II buffs.
There is a fantastic timeline at the end of the book, along with a glossary. Words are in bold print throughout the book, and readers who don't know them can easily flip to the back. There isn't a note about this at the beginning; I would have formatted the book so that the words were defined in a box at the side of the page, rather like a text book. There's no space for that, but there are a lot of good black and white pictures to support the text.
I had not realized that the Navajo Code Talkers were not allowed to talk about their work until the late 1960s, but there is a chapter talking about the problems that the men faced after the war, and a lot about the legacy of the code talkers and the efforts Begay, who is 96 and still active, has taken to keep this legacy alive. Readers who enjoyed Spradlin's John Basilone: World War II: Bravery at Guadalcanal or Weintraub's No Better Friend will be enthralled by the war time experience of Begay and his platoon, and readers who are interested in Native history will find a lot of information they might not have known.
September 14, 2023
A slight nonfiction story about the systems of the Navajo Code Talkers for younger readers to understand what a revolutionary discovery in using Najavo speech in trading information without being discovered by enemies during war juxtaposed by the tragedy of not recognizing the hard work and dedication that these men gave to it with little recognition until much later.
Because it's a spoken language the way in which it was used was undetectable. Landry explains different ciphers and systems for sharing information. And how arduous that task was. But the use of the code talkers ushered in a win to the war for its steadfast speed and inability to be understood by another else. The explanations of the language was fascinating for sure but it also shares the reality of "you will do this" and "be this" during the height of war and the assimilation that was forced upon Indigenous men to conform in the military that was much different than how they were raised.
Glad to have read it and learned a lot from it.
Because it's a spoken language the way in which it was used was undetectable. Landry explains different ciphers and systems for sharing information. And how arduous that task was. But the use of the code talkers ushered in a win to the war for its steadfast speed and inability to be understood by another else. The explanations of the language was fascinating for sure but it also shares the reality of "you will do this" and "be this" during the height of war and the assimilation that was forced upon Indigenous men to conform in the military that was much different than how they were raised.
Glad to have read it and learned a lot from it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews