my brother boldly shopped off my book wish list this christmas and gifted me a copy of zeitoun by dave eggers. first off, i need to admit that i was not swept off my feet by eggers’ writing style in a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. despite my feelings on eggers’ memoir, i was happy to have a second crack at his writing. zeitoun delves into the hurricane katrina aftermath through the lens of a muslim family named zeitoun; covering the days leading up to the disaster, the hurricane itself, and the subsequent chaos.

the zeitoun family’s experience is especially compelling given their religion. while the children and his wife fled before the hurricane hit, zeitoun (who goes by their last name) stayed in new orleans to keep track of their small business and rental properties. zeitoun spent the days following the hurricane rescuing neighbors in his canoe, delivering supplies, and observing the alarming influx of national guardsmen and aggressive military presence.

zeitoun’s religion, presence in a city under mandatory evacuation, and the military tension come into an explosive conflict, providing a shocking glimpse at what happened on the ground post-katrina and the violations of civil liberties that were swept under the rug amidst the chaos. despite the saturation of news on hurricane katrina immediately following the disaster and in the years since, i felt like my prior knowledge was wiped clean and this time i was getting an honest account.