Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Fans of topical nonfiction  may want to check out Zeitoun  by Dave Eggers. This book chronicles the experiences of New Orleans resident and Muslim American Abdulrahmen Zeitoun who, ignoring orders to evacuate, rides out Hurricane Katrina in his home and spends the days following distributing supplies, assisting others and feeding abandoned pets from his canoe, only to be mistakenly arrested a week later on suspicion of being a terrorist.

Here is what reviewers have said about the book:

“What Dave Eggers has found in the Katrina mud is the full-fleshed story of a single family, and, in telling that story, he hits larger targets with more punch than those who have already attacked the thematic and historic giants of this disaster. It’s the stuff of great narrative nonfiction.”  Timothy Egan in New York Times Book Review

“ …an unusual book. It’s not a big-screen picture of New Orleans in crisis. It’s a portrait of one man — a patriotic and deeply religious immigrant — caught in a nightmare created by a natural catastrophe, exacerbated by government incompetence.” Deirdre Donahue in USA Today

“This is as accurate, sensual and readable an account of Hurricane Katrina as you can find in nonfiction.” Dan Baum in in  San Francisco Chronicle

–Stacy

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