Code Talker: A Novel of the Navajo

by Ivon Blum

Across between "The Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Cheyenne Autumn," Code Talker is a noble exploration into the human need to survive and belong. It is the story of Talking Boy Gorman, a U.S. marine and a Navajo Indian code talker-radioman at the battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. His story is juxtaposed with the tragic struggle of the Navajo People and his own ancestors for survival at the hands of the U.S. Army just 80 years before. Talking Boy lies wounded and alone as the marines fight to take Mt. Suribachi. Pain drives his urgent need to discover why Vargas, his own bodyguard, wants to kill him amid the raging battle. As a child in government schools, he and his Navajo friends were severely punished for speaking their native tongue now so desperately needed as an unbreakable code in the war against the Japanese. In a letter in his mind, he asks his sweetheart, Penny Joe, "how come I change flags so easily." Their inspired correspondence as the story progresses grows them from friends into lovers. Through his morphine induced wanderings, Talking Boy recalls the sing-song words of the old stories of generations of his family who struggled against the U.S. Army's attempted extermination of an entire people before and during the Long Walk. Juanito, his great grandfather, cries out, "I shall surrender, never." Juanito's own half-brother, Carlos Montoya, an Army officer, murders Hunts Quail, his great grandmother, just as she is giving birth to his grandfather on the endless trail into Navajo oblivion. Juanito kills his half-brother. He's lost his beloved wife but gained a son and a new will to survive. The graphically portrayed battle for Mt. Suribachi provides a detailed look at one of the bloodiest battles of the war and, in addition to Talking Boy, some of the heroic marines who fought and died in it. The wounded radioman's experience offers a convincing look at how the Pacific war might have been lost without the Navajo language Code Talkers. Talking Boy hears the sing-s

262 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2012

Reviews

[Lorin Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two parallel tales here: Talking Boy, a young Navajo who is a Marine at Iwo Jima; Jaunito, his great grandfather a century earlier The technique is not unique, but Blum has produced a dynamic book here. It is steeped in the Navajo history of the 19th century, the conflicts with Mexicans and Americans. And it dips into a part of US Military history too often overlooked, the use of Navajo speakers to confuse the Japanese.

Navajo traditions and cultural mores are embedded in the characters. Blum has done a wonderful job of integrating historical facts and creating wholly believable characters. In addition there are tension elements in both eras which keep the plot moving forward at a steady clip. A thoroughly enjoyable and well crafted story