Zeitoun

This is a riveting non-fiction account of the experiences of the Zeitoun family during and after Hurricane Katrina. Abdelrahman Zeitoun is a Muslim Syrian immigrant who came to New Orleans, was naturalized, married an American woman and built a successful house painting business in the years leading up to Katrina. When the hurricane came, Zeitoun stayed in the city to keep an eye on his house and other properties, while his wife and children left to stay with relatives out of the path of the storm. In the first few days after the hurricane struck, Zeitoun traveled around the city in a canoe, trying to help whomever he found. Then he was abruptly arrested and put in prison. The story quickly turns dystopian.

I was a big fan of Dave Eggers' What Is the What–his plain narrative style let the heartbreaking events of that book speak for themselves. His style is the same here and it is just as effective. He also weaves Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun's past memories and experiences into the story of the hurricane in a way that made me feel I had entered their family and heightened my anxiety on their behalf.

In a way this is both a heartwarming story and a terrifying one. I recommend it.