Quiet Hero

Review
By Booklist

The short life of Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian, and one of the Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima is chronicled in a picture book for middle graders. Shy and silent, Hayes found comfort first in the regimen of a government-run boarding school, and then in the armed services during World War II. He and five others Marines were captured forever in that iconic image of raising the stars and stripes on a pole, which was later made into a bronze statue. Hailed as a hero upon his return, Hayes found it difficult to adjust to civilian life, sinking into despair and alcoholism, a disease which killed him 10 years later… Several spreads dynamically capture the fury of war, and the text is readable and informative. The author’s note provides a bit more information about this well-known military moment.