Zeitoun

I'm reading a very interesting book by Dave Eggers entitled Zeitoun. In this nonfiction narrative, Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painter in New Orleans who remains in the city through Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent chaos. I'm actually reading this book as part of my law school orientation. Zeitoun's experience post-Katrina raises the issue of the value of law and order and it's fragility in times of crisis. Though only halfway through Zeitoun at the moment, I would highly recommend the book thus far. My one criticism is way in which this account grossly misunderstands Christianity as "same God, different book" as it relates to the Muslim faith. In Egger's attempt to relate the "Americanness" of this Muslim family, I believe he inaccurately unifies the two distinctly different faiths. Nevertheless, this on-the-ground account of the mayhem surrounding Hurricane Katrina is both fascinating and heartbreaking.

- Joel