World War II author and historian Nancy R. Bartlit will speak at the Placitas Community Library next weekend about the encounters New Mexico had with Japan during the war.

“Silent Voices of World War II” begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 18 and will focus on the Bataan Death March, which 2,000 New Mexico National Guardsmen endured; and the Navajo Code Talkers, whose innovative use of their language created an unbreakable code which was critical to the United States’ success in the Pacific. She will also highlight voices from the history of the Japanese internment camp in Santa Fe, the secret Manhattan Project and questions around the reason for the Japanese surrender.

Bartlit, who founded Pajarito Press LLC, will release a book titled “Silent Voices of World War II: New Mexico’s Fierce Encounters with Japan” later in 2023. Through her book, lectures, preservation work and publishing, Bartlit helps teach the war’s history by sharing New Mexico’s unique contributions to stop it.