Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers [Paperback]

Kenji Kawano (Author), Carl Gorman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1990

The American offensive in the Pacific during World War II [was] hampered by the Japanese ability to crack the most secret U.S. Codes. Navajo was virtually unknown outside the reservations, ... and [their] code proved uncrackable. Kenji Kawano's striking photographs capture the quiet dignity of the surviving veterans as they recall their actions --Los Angeles Times

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"When I was going to boarding school, the U.S. government told us not to speak Navajo," recalls Teddy Draper Sr. of Chinle, Arizona, "but during the war, they wanted us to speak it!" Speaking their native language--which the Japanese could not decode--Navajo soldiers were instrumental in U.S. marine victories in the Pacific during World War II, relaying vital information between the front lines and headquarters. Kenji Kawano, a native Japanese photographer whose black and white images of surviving "code talkers" are unusual for their sensitivity, notes with some irony that these soldiers were his father's enemies at one time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Publishing Llc; First Impression edition (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873585135
• ISBN-13: 978-0873585132
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice photographic project, March 8, 2003

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers (Paperback)

"Windtalkers" was not the only cultural project to document a phenomenon about which more Americans should learn. Here is a book of actual pictures of Navajo veterans that served during World War II. The photos prove that there were more than just a few of them. Additionally, many of the men (and I don't recall seeing any Navajo women vets in this book) wear their veterans hats. This illustrates how many Native Americans are quite patriotic despite what the government did to their ancestors, and potentially still does with many tribes. There is a history of non-Natives photographing Natives which only serves to exoticize and de-humanize them. I doubt that's being done here; still, critical thinkers may want to be wary when evaluating this work. My one critique of this book is that there is very little text included. Besides photos, there is nothing much here. Still, I can't criticize a photographer for not being an academic. But be warned that this is just a coffee table book. I'd like to see more complex works being written about these brave individuals. Still, this was pretty excellent.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Photographic testament to native American veterans of WW2, September 29, 2004

By 

T. Bently "tbently" (Berkshire, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers (Paperback)

I've never had much interest in the Second World War - tv documentaries about it leave me cold. However, a recent visit to Utah (and a museum display in a Burger King branch) triggered my interest in the "Code Talkers".

Japanese photographer Kawano has taken portraits of all the Navajo veterans he could find. These are the native Americans who were recruited by the marines to use their native language in transmissions behind enemy lines in the Far East. It proved to be the only unbreakable spoken code in military history.

These black and white pictures are a poignant and eloquent testament to their heroism. A short introduction and occasional quotes from the subjects help set the context. It is a remarkable achievement, fusing art and history

4.0 out of 5 stars Warriors Navajo Code Talkers, December 13, 2011

By 

Susie67 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers (Paperback)

Great book with lots of pictures. I would recommend the purchase of this book to someone else if you're looking for a conversational piece.