Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac is a historical fiction novel about a Navajo code-talker during WWII. Chester is born and raised in New Mexico, deeply rooted in his Navajo heritage. When WWII breaks out, he and his friend, Roy, enlist. Along with the other Navajo they are drafted for a top secret mission: developing an unbreakable code to communicate orders on the front. They base the code upon their native language, of which the Japanese would have no knowledge. After serving in some of the most pivotal battles of the war, Chester is honorable discharged and returns home. He graduates college, gets married, and has four sons. The transition back to civilian life is complicated by the secrecy of his work during the war and his haunting PTSD. Finally 1968 his mission is declassified and Chester becomes a local celebrity. As he gives speaking tours, his marriage back home falls apart. His eldest son dies in a car accident, after which Chester moves back to his home on the Checkerboard in New Mexico. In 2001 he and his fellow surviving Navajo veterans are honored with Congressional medals of honor.
Chester's story is fascinating because it's a testament to his rich cultural heritage. He sets aside his differences with the U.S. government -- and there are many -- in order to serve during the war because after all the Japanese attacked his home too. Based on its spotty track record with Native American relations, it's fascinating that the United States military recognizes what an asset these Navajo recruits were. They essentially gave the boys free reign to develop this hopefully unbreakable code, placing an enormous amount of trust in them. The Navajo, honored to be able to use their native language for such a noble cause, truly made an unbreakable code. Throughout the entire war, the Japanese never even got close to cracking the Navajo code because it was so foreign to them.
This story is also important because of the United State's history of oppression of its native peoples. The west was won by cheating, raping, and murder the natives until they were too few to resist the takeover of their land. In WWII, however, these wrongdoings are put to shame when the Navajo code-talkers serve in the U.S. military so valiantly and become pivotal in the final victory. When Chester is finally able to talk to his dad about his time in the service honestly, he is honored by how proud his dad is. His father has lived his entire life feeling the full weight of the injustices done his people, but now he is able to offer proof of the value of his heritage. The award ceremony in 2001 is also a profoundly important historical moment, which in some very small way acknowledges and attempts reparation for the United States' past wrongdoings to the Native Americans. For Chester, it's the culmination of his life, after which he dies peacefully.
