Fic­tion

Jamilti and Oth­er Stories

  • Review
By – November 15, 2011
It’s not every day that an adult read­er comes across an illus­trat­ed book deal­ing with themes that appeal to his or her inter­ests. In Jamilti and Oth­er Sto­ries, Rutu Modan has writ­ten an impor­tant col­lec­tion of graph­ic short sto­ries that com­bine art and cur­rent events. For exam­ple, the title sto­ry, which is about the Israeli-Pales­tin­ian con­flict, rais­es the issues of ter­ror­ism and human rights. In this sto­ry as in the oth­ers, Modan does not divulge her views but instead stays neu­tral, let­ting read­ers decide mat­ters of right and wrong for them­selves. Modan’s art­work is some­times rough and crude, some­times stun­ning­ly beau­ti­ful, but it always evokes strong emo­tions. All the sto­ries are set in Israel; all leave us on edge. Modan does not give us the hap­py end­ings we all like, but instead lets us won­der, digest, and then crave more. This is her strongest attribute and makes the book well worth reading.
Libi is a first-time mom liv­ing in New Jer­sey. She works in fundrais­ing and events at Yeshi­va Uni­ver­si­ty and is pur­su­ing a master’s degree in Marketing.

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