Tunnels by Modan, Rutu

A race for the Ark of the Covenant finds an exploration into the ethics and world of the international antiquity trade

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.

Author: Rutu Modan
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Published: 11/16/2021
Pages: 284
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.85lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781770464667

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.3
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 521900 / Tunnels


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/20/2021
Shelf Awareness 11/19/2021

About the Author
Rutu Modan is an Illustrator, comics artist, and associate professor at the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design in Jerusalem. After publishing several comic strips in the Israeli media, Modan co-founded the Actus Comics group. In 2008 her book Exit Wounds won the Eisner Award. Her 2013 graphic novel The Property won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, the Special Jury Prize in the International Comics Festival in Angouleme, France, and the first prize for best book of the year in Lucca Comics & Games Festival, Italy. Modan's comics and children's books have been translated into 15 languages. In 2013 she cofounded an independent publishing house specialising in comics for young children.