PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewMitchell could have written a light riff with such strange, satire-ready material, but he has chosen a serious approach. Lengthy forays into transcripts of President Kennedy’s deliberations with his advisers provide context but drag in places, as do accounts of the drudgery of long hours in damp underground passageways. But Mitchell quickly wins the reader back with his tense descriptions ... The greatest strength of The Tunnels is in the details ... For those who see walls as the answer to policy problems, this book serves as a stark reminder that barriers can never cut people off entirely but only succeed in driving them underground.
