An Amazing Book on World War II
My latest craze is a book by Everett Rogers and readsouthwest member Nancy Bartlit, called Silent Voices of World War II, When Sons of the Land of Enchantment met Sons of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Apparently, this is the first single book that examines the four major avenues of involvement by New Mexicans in World War II: the Manhattan Project, Navajo Code Talkers, Japanese Internment Camps and the Bataan Death March. It is quite amazing to be reading some of the first hand accounts of the Death March, for example, from the mouths of New Mexicans. And the experience of the Navajo Code Talkers is astonishing. Imagine the transition that many of them had --from a BIA boarding school where the "dine" language was forbidden (often with terrible punishments) to being recruited into the military to take advantage of the language. These New Mexicans were an incredible help to our country. Their stories are inspiring, humbling, and sometimes really funny.
I have known for a long time that I was uninformed about World War II, and this book is the perfect way for me to begin to fill in some of the gaping holes in my knowledge. It's absolutely fascinating!
I highly recommend that you explore this book and learn more about the Navajo Code Talker in World War II, the History of the Bataan Death March, the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima, and the Relocation of Japanese Americans.
Keep on Reading!
-Hope Kiah
