Code Talker - Joseph Bruchac

Code Talker is a novel about the Navajo marines of WWII.

Kii Yázhí was only six years old when he was sent to the white man's boarding school. The young Navajos were forbidden to speak their native tongue because it was part of what made them Indians. The white man's motto was "kill the Indian and save the man."

Kii Yázhí was given the name Ned Begay because the white man giving out names thought Begay was his father's last name. In reality, Begay means "son of" so lots of Navajos are now named Begay because of ignorant white men.

Ned would grow up to join the Marine Corp and become a code talker. Ned fought on many Pacific Islands, but his main job was using the Navajo language to confound the Japanese. The same language he was forbidden to speak as a boy. Ned and his fellow Navajos were very good at their job. That's what this book is all about. Very highly recommended.