The Code of Honor is a novel about two brothers from Phoenix, Darius and Kamran Smith. Their father is American, and their mother is Iranian. Darius is an Army Ranger and Kamran wants to follow his brother’s example soon. For now, Kamran still has his carefree life with a beautiful girlfriend, busy social life and good school performance. Then information appears in the media that his brother Darius attacks the American embassy in Turkey. He is immediately accused of terrorism. Suddenly, the life of Kamran and his parents is turned upside down. Kamran refuses to believe that his brother is behind the attack and so he decides to clear his brother’s name.
In his books, Alan Gratz touches on rather difficult topics, such as the problem of refugees and world wars. In the Code of Honor, the author touches upon such main topics as family ties, patriotism, terrorism, military conflicts. This book consists of short chapters that flow smoothly into one another. They are compact and most of them are full of activity and action. The book is so clearly written that the reader literally sees the overall picture in front of him and occasionally imagines himself in a war game, in which various intense plots are worked out. The main characters are well revealed. Alan Gratz uses simple and direct language. There is also little time for subtlety or finesse in the plot. Not a single event in the plot is superfluous, and twists and obstacles are quite enough.
The main theme of the book is family relationship. The author uses the bond between two brothers as a theme in The Code of Honor. Alan Gratz does a good job of showing the brothers’ unwavering faith in each other, as well as their doubts and fears. Kamran is well chosen for the role of the main character. He takes the best of both cultures and wants to believe in his brother. The childhood memories of Kamran and Darius perfectly show the strong bond between them.
Terrorism and racism are also discussed in this book. The author points out that Darius and Kamran have Iranian roots, but they grew up in America. They respect their country and show their patriotism. Nevertheless, society has a different opinion and Darius is accused of terrorism. This novel teaches readers not to judge a person by their origin and race. All people are equal among themselves, and the race of a person does not indicate his habits, character and actions. It all depends on what society a person grows up in, how family and friends influence him, how a person is brought up and what kind of culture he is interested in. Code of Honor teaches a reader to always be human, listen to his heart, not society, achieve his goal and never give up despite everything.
