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

After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

What the fuck was this book.

Very powerful and inspiring, this book talks about one of the less-known races that were discriminated against in the past century. We Americans just didn't figure it out: you need to respect everyone around you, no matter what race or ethnic group. It was the same as discriminating against African-Americans, except worse, because the American Indian tribes are still confined to reserves. This book also has some strong images of one of the bloodiest and most brutal wars in the history of the world. The action of combat turns what would otherwise be a boring book into a page-turner.