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Title details for Tunnels by Rutu Modan - Available

Tunnels

by Rutu Modan
Ishai Mishory
ebook
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When a great antiquities collector is forced to donate his entire collection to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Nili Broshi sees her last chance to finish an archaeological expedition begun decades earlier—a dig that could possibly yield the most important religious artifact in the Middle East. Motivated by the desire to reinstate her father's legacy as a great archaeologist after he was marginalized by his rival, Nili enlists a ragtag crew—a religious nationalist and his band of hilltop youths, her traitorous brother, and her childhood Palestinian friend, now an archaeological smuggler. As Nili's father slips deeper into dementia, warring factions close in on and fight over the Ark of the Covenant! Backed by extensive research into this real-world treasure hunt, Rutu Modan sets her affecting novel at the center of a political crisis. She posits that the history of biblical Israel lies in one of the most disputed regions in the world, occupied by Israel and contested by Palestine. Often in direct competition, Palestinians and Israelis dig alongside one another, hoping to find the sacred artifact believed to be a conduit to God. Two-time Eisner Award winner Rutu Modan's third graphic novel, Tunnels, is her deepest and wildest yet. Potent and funny, Modan reveals the Middle East as no westerner could. Ishai Mishory is a longtime New York City—and newly Bay Area—based translator and sometimes illustrator. He is currently conducting research for a PhD dissertation on 16th century Italian printing.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 2, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781770465602
    Kindle restrictions

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 3.3
    • Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
    • Text Difficulty: 0-2

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 20, 2021
      Eisner winner Modan (Exit Wounds) targets a range of sacred cows in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sometimes literally, in this bracingly satirical, fast-paced adventure about a dysfunctional family seeking the Ark of the Covenant. Nili is the semi-vagabond daughter of archaeologist Israel, who has returned to Jerusalem and been convinced by her brother Broshi to help realize the now-senile Israel’s dream to uncover the Ark. Subplots abound: Nili believes a tablet uncovered by Abuloff—a genial but morally flexible antiquities dealer who buys from ISIS—points to the Ark; Israel’s dread rival Rafi, a fanatically competitive archaeologist, also enters the fray. The dig itself is surreptitious and complicated, involving excavating under an Arab village without permits and recruiting religious settlers as laborers, who believe the mystical Ark will prove their connection to the land. Palestinians Mahdi and Zuzu interrupt, digging their own tunnel (“We were here first!” Nili argues, and Mahdi replies, “Depends where you start counting”). Drawing in a throwback Tintin style that emphasizes elaborate backgrounds with exaggerated foreground characters, Modan embraces political absurdity, subverting ridiculous aspects of faith and fanaticism while never devolving to mockery. The conclusion’s surprise Spielbergian reveal contains equal parts comedy and horror. It’s the very best kind of satire.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
Kindle restrictions

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.3
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:0-2

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