"The Navajo Code Talkers": a good seminal resource to provide a jump off to other research.

Although the United States is a young nation, it has more than its share of major historical moments in its recorded history. So much of what we are formally taught in our early school years is painted in broad strokes. Those with the curiosity to delve deeper into details can stumble upon a wealth of information unknown to the general public.
Such knowledge seekers would find Doris Paul's "The Navajo Code Talkers" a decent starting reference point for the story of the unbreakable code created by the U.S. Marine Corps and recruits from Navajo communities.
Like many American history books, Paul's book – held to be the seminal work on the subject – paints with some broad strokes; however, because it is on a much narrower topic, the overall picture appears as a fuller canvas with fewer white spaces in between. There is a great deal of research resources listed in the Appendices, and I would go to those for my next move to uncover more. I didn't see this book as a "look no further" work. There are plenty of holes to be filled in, the story would benefit from a more unifying flow from one section to the next (I was confused more than once by the unexpected jump in topics), and a general overhaul and retightening of the anecdotal remembrances over the nearly 40 years it has been in print would be a welcome edit.
The best part of this work is knowing of, and seeing pictures of, the men who were part of the elite code talker teams getting recognition for their contribution (albeit 25 years later). It is an extremely interesting topic, and I will definitely use it as a jump off point for my further research.
I received a complimentary copy of "The Navajo Code Talkers" as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.