Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
The sticker on the book said this was a "national bestseller" and the title appeared on a "must read for college" list distributed to the English teachers at my school. The book is a good story, but it is not great literature. I think the story could have been told in a shorter format and been much more appealing. Or the story of Zeitoun could have been used to explore some fundamental rights that we as Americans assume (and which were violated for many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina).
The story centers around a man and his wife and their experiences just before and several weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Because Zeitoun (his last name, but the one everyone used for him since his first name is difficult for English speakers to pronounce) was born and raised in Syria, the story hints that he was at greater risk after the storm because of his religion. However, there was no real evidence to indicate that he was targeted because of his religion: he was targeted because he remained in a city that had a mandatory evacuation order and no one was in control after the hurricane hit.
In short, Kathy and the kids evacuate the city before Katrina hit. Zeitoun elected to remain in the city and weather the storm to protect his home and business (frankly, everyone who evacuated had the same concerns about homes and businesses, but they left anyway out of good judgement). He had a small canoe that he used to navigate around the flooded city after the storm passsed, despite knowing there was a mandatory evacuation order and despite knowing there were vandals and looters all over the city. (I thought his decision to remain was weak, despite that he was able to "save" an elderly woman after the flood.) The bulk of the book is the difficulty in communication between Kathy and Zeitoun after the storm. He, and other "refugees" were virtually cut off from the rest of the world, which was harder on Kathy who got daily television news reports on the city's virtual destruction. Midway through the book, Zeitoun is arrested and tossed into jail, but Kathy has no idea what happened to him. It's hard to believe that the things that happened to him actually happened in America. It isn't that I doubt they occurred; it's that I am shocked at how easily the city could fall into such lawlessness. You expect criminals to be criminals, but you don't expect the police/national guardsmen/government officials to ignore so many of our basic constitutional rights.
The story is compelling since it touches on what can happen when justice has no checks and balances. The story is not emotional or lyrical or especially well written as far as studying it for anything other than the political issues that could be raised by an active, curious reader. (The author does not delve into the philosophy of any issues; he just keeps repeating about how Kathy and the kids really love Zeitoun and how Zeitoun really loves Kathy and the kids. OK, OK! don't keep telling me, show me!)
I don't think it merits being on a "must read" list, but it is the first book about Hurricane Katrina that I have read.
The story centers around a man and his wife and their experiences just before and several weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Because Zeitoun (his last name, but the one everyone used for him since his first name is difficult for English speakers to pronounce) was born and raised in Syria, the story hints that he was at greater risk after the storm because of his religion. However, there was no real evidence to indicate that he was targeted because of his religion: he was targeted because he remained in a city that had a mandatory evacuation order and no one was in control after the hurricane hit.
In short, Kathy and the kids evacuate the city before Katrina hit. Zeitoun elected to remain in the city and weather the storm to protect his home and business (frankly, everyone who evacuated had the same concerns about homes and businesses, but they left anyway out of good judgement). He had a small canoe that he used to navigate around the flooded city after the storm passsed, despite knowing there was a mandatory evacuation order and despite knowing there were vandals and looters all over the city. (I thought his decision to remain was weak, despite that he was able to "save" an elderly woman after the flood.) The bulk of the book is the difficulty in communication between Kathy and Zeitoun after the storm. He, and other "refugees" were virtually cut off from the rest of the world, which was harder on Kathy who got daily television news reports on the city's virtual destruction. Midway through the book, Zeitoun is arrested and tossed into jail, but Kathy has no idea what happened to him. It's hard to believe that the things that happened to him actually happened in America. It isn't that I doubt they occurred; it's that I am shocked at how easily the city could fall into such lawlessness. You expect criminals to be criminals, but you don't expect the police/national guardsmen/government officials to ignore so many of our basic constitutional rights.
The story is compelling since it touches on what can happen when justice has no checks and balances. The story is not emotional or lyrical or especially well written as far as studying it for anything other than the political issues that could be raised by an active, curious reader. (The author does not delve into the philosophy of any issues; he just keeps repeating about how Kathy and the kids really love Zeitoun and how Zeitoun really loves Kathy and the kids. OK, OK! don't keep telling me, show me!)
I don't think it merits being on a "must read" list, but it is the first book about Hurricane Katrina that I have read.
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