Publishers Weekly
09/20/2021
Journalist Michaeli (The Defender) paints an intriguing if underdeveloped portrait of the “often fraught dynamics among the religious factions, ethnic traditions, and political affiliations within Israel today.” Drawing on interviews with Palestinian Israelis, ultra-Orthodox Jews, politicians, reporters, and small business owners, among others, Michaeli delves into seldom-discussed topics such as the campaign to ban fraud-prone “binary options” financial trading in Israel, and the “sedentarization” of the once-nomadic Bedouins, many of whom live in illegal villages in the Negev desert. Though Michaeli notes the “fractious relations of Israel’s different sectors,” he doesn’t draw a clear framework for understanding these tensions, and somewhat shortchanges important demographic groups including the poor, Anglo immigrants, the Israeli army, and young Israelis who struggle to afford an apartment and other necessities. Michaeli packs in plenty of revealing anecdotes, but he occasionally lapses into unenlightening shorthand, such as when he refers to the “American superstructure imposed on Israel/Palestine’s economy and politics” without fully explaining what he means. Though Michaeli is a skilled interviewer and a vivid scene-setter, this colorful yet meandering tour of modern-day Israel lacks depth. Agent: Rob McQuilkin, Massie & McQuilkin. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
These illuminating conversations with a wide variety of ordinary people—ultra-Orthodox Jews, Holocaust survivors, aging kibbutzniks, Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, Arab citizens of Israel, Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank— fill the pages of this richly descriptive book. … It is refreshing, therefore, to read a book about the lives of actual Israelis, which brings their cacophonous voices, rather than the author’s opinions, to the fore.” — Dov Waxman, New York Times Book Review
"Michaeli’s engrossing narrative of Israel today, free of Washington’s policy debates and international negotiations, is a work of history from the ground up, meant to document the country at this particular moment." — National Book Review
“In his artfully crafted work, Michaeli deftly escorts the reader through the complexities and interactions of Israel’s populace; one rich in a diversity of opinion and practice. Read his book and you will come to understand modern day Israel as it is: a kaleidoscope of tribes.” — Times of Israel
“In Twelve Tribes, Ethan Michaeli proves he is a master portraitist – of lives, places, and cultures. His rendering of contemporary Israel crackles with energy, fueled by a historian’s vision and a journalist’s unrelenting curiosity.” — Evan Osnos, New York Times bestselling author of Age of Ambition and Wildland
“Forget what you think you know—in this fascinating work of nonfiction, Michaeli captures various groups of this fractured country and brings to life how complex and intertwined everyone can be. ... Rather than provide easy answers, this is a book that invites you to meet all of these people and hear their stories and take a look into their lives. It’s perfect for starting a book club discussion and challenging ideas people might have prior to reading it.” — Book Riot
"A wide-ranging variety of on-the-ground reportage, uncovering a teeming world of Israelis and Palestinians working and living in uneasy proximity. Whether visiting the Tel Aviv suburbs, fashionable cafes in Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Ponevezh Yeshiva, 'one of the essential institutions of the Haredi world,' Michaeli reveals aspects of the country’s character that historians and journalists have been unable to capture." — Kirkus Reviews
"Ethan Michaeli writes about Israel with the objectivity of a keen observer and the passion of an insider with a personal stake in the future of the country. In this delightful journey through Israel’s radical diversity, he cautions us against hasty judgments. Love for the Israeli story, and anxiety for its future, animate this book." — Yossi Klein Halevi, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor and senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute
"Twelve Tribes is a masterful work of history and storytelling, one that cuts through the fog of politics by focusing on the people and feelings at the heart of the story of Israel. Ethan Michaeli takes the reader on an unforgettable, eye-opening journey." — Jonathan Eig, New York Times bestselling author of Ali: A Life
"Traveling with Ethan Michaeli as your welcoming guide, new worlds of understanding open up on a subject that can seem so exhaustingly stale. Israel becomes not a political football but a place—multicultural, multi-lingual, multi-cuisined, multi-centuried, multi-national, everything cheek-by-jowl, arguments breaking out everywhere and always—a magical thing so very much worth saving, somehow." — Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author of Reaganland
“Ethan Michaeli has a gimlet eye for the people, texture, and contradictions of modern Israel. I’m in awe of his powers of observation and his ability as a modern-day Tocqueville to take us inside one of the most complex and confounding countries in the world." — Jonathan Alter, bestselling author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life
"Ethan Michaeli paints a nuanced portrait of Israeli society." — Christian Science Monitor
"Ethan Michaeli takes us on a series of jaunts around Israel, his keen observations and attention to everyday people creating a picture of the place and its inhabitants’ lives far more comprehensive than in conflict-focused news reports. ... Twelve Tribes is a joy to read, as breezy as a conversation." — American Jewish World
"Ethan Michaeli has accomplished something of great value with Twelve Tribes. With his observant street level reporting and vivid writing, he has broken through stereotypes to reveal the multiplicity of Israel and the promise of its diverse peoples. From these ground level observations, I learned more about Israel than anything I'd read before." — David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father
"Marshaling an extraordinarily extensive network—from Palestinians to Haredim, from teenagers to nonagenarians, from kibbutzniks to businesswomen, from organizers to bystanders—Ethan Michaeli here proves himself an insightful guide through the many facets of today’s Israel. Quietly and cheerfully nudging both his interviewees and his readers, he gets at the truth—not only that there are no easy answers, but also that there are so many complicated ones." — Yuval Taylor, author of Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal
"While traveling across Israel, Michaeli takes an in-depth look at the patchwork of identities that make up contemporary Israeli society, from kibbutzniks to Ethiopian olim to Israeli Arabs." — Jewish Insider
Jonathan Alter
Ethan Michaeli has a gimlet eye for the people, texture, and contradictions of modern Israel. I’m in awe of his powers of observation and his ability as a modern-day Tocqueville to take us inside one of the most complex and confounding countries in the world."
Evan Osnos
In Twelve Tribes, Ethan Michaeli proves he is a master portraitist – of lives, places, and cultures. His rendering of contemporary Israel crackles with energy, fueled by a historian’s vision and a journalist’s unrelenting curiosity.
Rick Perlstein
"Traveling with Ethan Michaeli as your welcoming guide, new worlds of understanding open up on a subject that can seem so exhaustingly stale. Israel becomes not a political football but a place—multicultural, multi-lingual, multi-cuisined, multi-centuried, multi-national, everything cheek-by-jowl, arguments breaking out everywhere and always—a magical thing so very much worth saving, somehow."
Times of Israel
In his artfully crafted work, Michaeli deftly escorts the reader through the complexities and interactions of Israel’s populace; one rich in a diversity of opinion and practice. Read his book and you will come to understand modern day Israel as it is: a kaleidoscope of tribes.
Jonathan Eig
"Twelve Tribes is a masterful work of history and storytelling, one that cuts through the fog of politics by focusing on the people and feelings at the heart of the story of Israel. Ethan Michaeli takes the reader on an unforgettable, eye-opening journey."
Dov Waxman
These illuminating conversations with a wide variety of ordinary people—ultra-Orthodox Jews, Holocaust survivors, aging kibbutzniks, Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, Arab citizens of Israel, Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank— fill the pages of this richly descriptive book. … It is refreshing, therefore, to read a book about the lives of actual Israelis, which brings their cacophonous voices, rather than the author’s opinions, to the fore.
National Book Review
"Michaeli’s engrossing narrative of Israel today, free of Washington’s policy debates and international negotiations, is a work of history from the ground up, meant to document the country at this particular moment."
Book Riot
Forget what you think you know—in this fascinating work of nonfiction, Michaeli captures various groups of this fractured country and brings to life how complex and intertwined everyone can be. ... Rather than provide easy answers, this is a book that invites you to meet all of these people and hear their stories and take a look into their lives. It’s perfect for starting a book club discussion and challenging ideas people might have prior to reading it.
Yossi Klein Halevi
"Ethan Michaeli writes about Israel with the objectivity of a keen observer and the passion of an insider with a personal stake in the future of the country. In this delightful journey through Israel’s radical diversity, he cautions us against hasty judgments. Love for the Israeli story, and anxiety for its future, animate this book."
David Maraniss
"Ethan Michaeli has accomplished something of great value with Twelve Tribes. With his observant street level reporting and vivid writing, he has broken through stereotypes to reveal the multiplicity of Israel and the promise of its diverse peoples. From these ground level observations, I learned more about Israel than anything I'd read before."
Christian Science Monitor
"Ethan Michaeli paints a nuanced portrait of Israeli society."
American Jewish World
"Ethan Michaeli takes us on a series of jaunts around Israel, his keen observations and attention to everyday people creating a picture of the place and its inhabitants’ lives far more comprehensive than in conflict-focused news reports. ... Twelve Tribes is a joy to read, as breezy as a conversation."
Yuval Taylor
"Marshaling an extraordinarily extensive network—from Palestinians to Haredim, from teenagers to nonagenarians, from kibbutzniks to businesswomen, from organizers to bystanders—Ethan Michaeli here proves himself an insightful guide through the many facets of today’s Israel. Quietly and cheerfully nudging both his interviewees and his readers, he gets at the truth—not only that there are no easy answers, but also that there are so many complicated ones."
Jewish Insider
"While traveling across Israel, Michaeli takes an in-depth look at the patchwork of identities that make up contemporary Israeli society, from kibbutzniks to Ethiopian olim to Israeli Arabs."
New York Times Book Review
These illuminating conversations with a wide variety of ordinary people — ultra-Orthodox Jews, Holocaust survivors, aging kibbutzniks, Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, Arab citizens of Israel, Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank — fill the pages of this richly descriptive book. Michaeli allows his subjects to speak for themselves and largely eschews editorializing. … It is refreshing, therefore, to read a book about the lives of actual Israelis, which brings their cacophonous voices, rather than the author’s opinions, to the fore.
National Book Review on The Defender
This prodigiously researched work is a testament to the courage of Defender writers through the century, a chronicle of the influence of an important institution—and a sweeping history of black America.”
Brent Staples
An extraordinary history…Deeply researched, elegantly written…a towering achievement that will not be soon forgotten.
Wall Street Journal on The Defender
"Conscientiously researched and fluent, The Defender is essentially a record of the African-American struggle in our times.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune on The Defender
A fascinating account of the legendary black newspaper that spoke truth to power, fought for equality and made history.”
USA Today on The Defender
"Ethan Michaeli’s epic, meticulously detailed account not only reminds its readers that newspapers matter, but so do black lives, past and present."
Kirkus Reviews
2021-08-26
An American Jew of Israeli parents returns to Israel to delve into the complicated makeup of that country’s society and demographics.
In his latest book, Michaeli, a Jewish author and activist who hails from Chicago, returns to the adopted land of his parents, early kibbutzim residents who survived the Holocaust. During several years of visits from 2014 to 2018, the author interviewed Israeli citizens and refugees in order to document their stories of survival and aspiration. Though the narrative initially lacks a concrete theme and meanders, Michaeli eventually hits his stride, offering useful, focused sociological portraits of his many subjects. “My goal was to document Israel at this crucial historical moment,” he writes, “and so I kept my literary lens at street level, letting conversations unspool and allowing people to speak for themselves.” On his first visit, when bombs were falling between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, he visited his brother, Gabriel, 17 years his senior, who was born on a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. Gabi, a lawyer, opened a whole world of contacts for his brother, and the narrative progresses through a wide-ranging variety of on-the-ground reportage, uncovering a teeming world of Israelis and Palestinians working and living in uneasy proximity. Whether visiting the Tel Aviv suburbs, fashionable cafes in Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Ponevezh Yeshiva, “one of the essential institutions of the Haredi world,” Michaeli reveals aspects of the country’s character that historians and journalists have been unable to capture. “Neither a cautionary tale nor an international role model, Israel is a microcosm, a tiny domain that contains the truth of how the world really works,” writes the author. “The state’s survival will be determined, then, by the extent to which it is able to accommodate all its tribes, creating a system that respects each tribe’s integrity, but ensures that all are able to contribute to the collective.”
A diligently gathered series of personal stories shows a world defined by difficulty and complexity.
