Tiny Navajo Reads: Thursday Three Native American Novels

Hi guys! Today is Thursday and we are so close to the weekend! So excited for the weekend! Anyway, today’s Thursday Threes is all about Native American novels as it is Native American History Month. They are going to be either ones that I’ve read or ones that I want to read. I’ll be sure to let you know which one it is.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila

#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy

These are three books written by Native Americans about Native Americans. I have read two of these, Trail of Lightning and #Notyourprincess, and I want to read Code Talker at some point.

What books about Native Americans have you read? Do you want to read more books that focus on Native Americans? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Thursday Three Nonfiction TBR

Thursday Threes: Nonfiction Books I Have on My TBR List

Yes, we are taking a look at my to-be-read list and some nonfiction books that I have on my list that I would like to read. Granted, my TBR list changes and there are some books that I take off. But, as of right now, these are three nonfiction books on my TBR:

1. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick
2. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by Fiona Carnarvon
3. Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez

These are all nonfiction books that have been sitting on my TBR list for a while. The thing is that I’m not really a fan of nonfiction books. I do read them, but they are not the thing that I turn to when I’m looking for my next book to read. But, now that I’ve put them out there, maybe this will be some accountability and I’ll finally get around to reading them.

Do you read nonfiction books? If so, what are some of your favorites? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Code Talker: A Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two

Code Talker: A Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

This is a part of my history, these brave men who designed and implemented a code that was used during WWII that the Japanese were unable to break. This code was based in Navajo, a Native American language. But for more than 20 years after the end of WWII, these men were not allowed to state what it was they did during the war, in case the code was needed in war again. This story follows a fictional Navajo Marine by the name of Ned Begay, but he is based on actual Navajos and their stories, as well as stories from his own family during WWII.

This story follows Ned Begay from his childhood where he was sent to a white school where he was told to forget his language, to forget his Native heritage, to forget all that makes him who he is. It’s only when WWII breaks out while Ned is in high school that he is told that he and his people, the Navajo, the Diné as they call themselves, are sorely needed. A Marine recruiter comes to his high school and tells them that if they enlist early, they will part of the few and the proud, they will be able to choose which branch of the military they want to serve in, whereas when the draft comes for them, they’ll be put anywhere.

Ned chooses to join the Marines, he and others from his school, where he finds out that he and those Navajos that joined when they did are going to be the ones who continue to build and create the code that has stumped everyone so far. It is the language they were told to forget that is what is turning the tide in this war. It gives Ned and the others a sense of pride in who they are. That their language is what is saving the lives of many others.

While not written by a Navajo, I feel like this is a true story of the Diné, a story that shows that no matter what, we will triumph over adversity. He did go to the reservation and he got the stories and conversations and anecdotes needed to give this story the truth it needed to stand up. I loved reading this book and reading about the Navajo Marines. I need to find more books like this.

What fiction books have you read that felt like non-fiction/truth? Comment below and let me know!