The laundry room / by Lynda Lippman-Lockhart

The Laundry Room dramatizes a fascinating moment in the history of the founding of Israel as a self-ruling nation. Based on actual events, the novel follows the lives of several young Israelis as they found a kibbutz and run a clandestine ammunition factory, which supplied Israeli troops fighting against Arab forces following the end of British occupation in the late 1940s. Under British rule, it was illegal for Israelis to possess firearms, so it was necessary not only to create and stockpile bullets for the coming war, but to do so in secret. The ingenuity, courage, and sheer audacity displayed by the members of the code-named "Ayalon Institute," as they operated their factory right under the noses of the British military, make for an intriguing tale. Lippmann-Lockhart shows readers what it might have been like to be one of the young pioneers whose work truly impacted the outcome of Israel's fight for independence.