Zeitoun
I just finished reading Zeitoun, an account of Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous events experienced by Zeitoun, a Syrian immigrant living in New Orleans and his American born wife Kathy.
The story is told from Zeitoun’s and Kathy’s perspective but written by Dave Eggers. When I first started the book, I have to admit I was a little skeptical because it’s written like a novel but is supposed to be a non-fiction account of this family’s experience. A part of me is always a little skeptical when I read anything that’s ghost-written or told through someone else, so I found myself questioning the dialog, the level of introspection, the details that seemed beyond the scope of memory. How could Eggers have known the exact words that were said on any particular day? The exact details of what something looked like? But accuracy to the letter isn’t the point of the book and once I accepted that and Eggers’ style of telling the story, I allowed myself to suspend disbelief and was drawn in.
The story that unfolds is gripping…and will make you very very angry…and depressed about our government. I won’t go into details about what happened – I didn’t know where the story would lead and I think that’s what made it so horrifying. At the same time it was heartwarming and inspiring to read about the family. I definitely recommend it.
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