Code of Honor
Recommended Ages: 10-17 (I would stay on the high school side)
“Some people will always think the less of you for the color of your skin, for the country of your mother’s birth, or for the despicable actions of someone who kind of, maybe, on a good day in the right light looks a bit like you. Which means you always have to be the better man” (p.272).
Have you ever doubted everything you ever knew about someone? What if it was your brother?
As I await the release of Alan Gratz’s newest title Two Degrees this fall, I decided to go read a title I seemed to have skipped over before. I’ve read his other novels, Prisoner B-3087, Allies, Projekt 1065, Refugee, Grenade, and Ground Zero. While these stories are not ideal for all readers, I absolutely love his writing and the way he crafts a powerful story to grip the reader’s heart. His stories rarely end the way that I would want them to, but I appreciate that he keeps the ugliness of war real and the outcomes uncertain.
Code of Honor is listed as recommended for ages 12-17. I would definitely be on the high school end of that age recommendation as some elements could be a bit much for younger readers. Additionally, the main character is a senior in high school and age 17 himself.
The story opens on homecoming night as Kamran basks in the spotlight of being named homecoming king and his girlfriend, Julia, the queen. Kamran is a high school football star with a dream of attending West Point like his brother Darius has. His mother is Iranian and his father American. These details set the backdrop for all that is about to come. As Kamran enjoys his homecoming night, he gets into an altercation with other young men at the dance who are bullying another student. Kamran steps in to stop the harassment and the attacker turns on him as he begins to call him names, such as “towel head”, and to disrespect his brother Darius (p.7). Unbeknownst to Kamran at the time, a video of Darius condemning the U.S. and claiming responsibility for an attack as part of al-Qaeda is circulating the news and media. Darius, a terrorist?
Darius not only attended West Point, but he is a special ops Army Ranger. Kamran’s world is quickly falling apart and none of it makes sense. Kamran doubts everything he is being told, and then begins to doubt what he has known. Kamran has always looked up to Darius, and his brother has always been there for him. He replays fond memories in his mind of all the games they played growing up and at the heart of it is their Code of Honor.
Despite the reports and his doubts, Kamran clings to his brother’s innocence and finds his first clue. In the video, Darius has given a clue, a clue only Kamran can understand. As the story unfolds, Kamran is taken and held in Washington, D.C. for questioning. He is detained for weeks and sits through interrogations. One of the agents befriends Kamran and believes his story and theory about Darius. It is with the help of Mickey, the agent, that Kamran is able to reveal the clues that lead to another terrorist plot in the U.S.
The chapters are short, the story fast-paced so that even a struggling or reluctant reader would be tied into the storyline. The story confronts prejudice and the stigma many Persians and those of Arab descent faced post 9/11. Darius was 11 at the time, but it is used as a catalyst for those who try to condemn Darius as a terrorist. The story wrestles with friendship, forgiveness, and doubt. Gratz does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to fall into Kamran’s view and struggle and even join him in the doubt.
As the story does deal with war and terrorism, I would exercise caution depending on the sensitivity of your reader. There are derogatory terms used for Kamran and his family, including “towel head” and “camel jockey,” in addition to believing them all to be terrorists. Darius is taken by the Department of Homeland Security, this event is a bit traumatic as he is bagged and drugged (p.2, 54-55). There is a newly released video that Kamran sees of an American journalist beheaded with Darius standing in the background (p.51). In an attempt to escape DHS custody, Kamran attacks one of the guards and takes his gun. Kamran attempts to use the gun to shoot a fire extinguisher to create a diversion. Unfortunately, soldiers are in the vicinity and an exchange of gunfire ensues (p.134-135). As part of a cover story, Mickey is shot in the leg. Kamran is shocked by this event (p.148). As Kamran and a team of operatives seek to save Darius and thwart the terrorist plot, there are other instances of gun battles throughout the story, one in which Kamran struggles with whether or not to shoot a man. Later in the story, he does shoot a man in order to save a life. “When I applied to West Point, I figured this might happen someday far in the future. You go to West Point to become a soldier, and I knew what soldiers did. I just hadn’t known what it would feel like to be responsible for another man’s death. It left me hollow and cold inside, like I’d died a little, too” (p.234).
Kamran does find Darius, but in an instant, Darius is holding a gun to Kamran’s head as the leader of the terrorist cell comes forth. Kamran also has a gun pointed at his brother Darius at one point and is wrestling with what is true and what is false. Additionally, one of the operatives helping Kamran find and save Darius is then shot several times and killed in front of Kamran. “Dane was the one who slumped to the floor, blood running from a hole in his forehead” (p.225). There is another instance of a security guard shot in the forehead (p.244) as well. As you can imagine, the story is intense at some points and the descriptions concise, but vivid, which is why I would be cautious about giving this book to too young a reader.
There is one instance of damn it in the book, but no other profanity. There is a scene at the beginning of the dance when Kamran and Julia kiss (p.3), as well as his attempt to kiss her in the hall at school after the first video of Darius is released. Julia turns her head at him, and Kamran is crushed by her rejection of him (p.24-25). Kamran also struggles to handle the unbelief of his best friend Adam in his brother’s innocence. This causes a break in the relationship, but Mickey speaks encouragement to Kamran as he wrestles with putting the pieces back together in the aftermath of all that has taken place. Mickey states, “I’m only pointing out that you doubted your brother once or twice even when you were closer to him than any other person on God’s green earth. Now think about your friends at school” (p.271). Mickey is trying to give Kamran perspective as he works towards rebuilding friendships and forgiveness. He later tells Kamran “Some people will always think the less of you for the color of your skin, for the country of your mother’s birth, or for the despicable actions of someone who kind of, maybe, on a good day in the right light looks a bit like you. Which means you always have to be the better man” (p.272).
The story is raw at many points, but Gratz masterfully pulls the reader in to allow them the ability to empathize with the characters and wrestle with important themes and topics. I couldn’t put this book down, and I’m sure anyone else who picks up this book would feel the same.
