What to say about Zeitoun, other than, "Read it, the sooner, the better?"
This book was an incredibly good read. The first part introduces you to Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his wife Kathy and their children. They're an all-American family. He was born in Syria, she in Baton Rouge, an American convert to Islam before she met her husband. They and their children live in New Orleans where they run a frenetic and thriving family business. They have lots of relatives in Louisiana and across the world, with whom they are in various degrees and qualities of relationship. As Hurricane Katrina approaches New Orleans, they talk about whether to stay or go.
After the hurricane hits, the levees break, and all the systems in which the Zeitoun family lives are tested: the family system, the communication system, the media networks, the physical systems of the city infrastructure, the bureaucratic, police and judicial infastructure, and in essence, everyone's ability to talk, to listen and to trust. I will say nothing else about what happens, but if you are like me, you will feel a wide range of emotions as events unfold, and you will learn some things that will shake your faith in humanity, and other things that will strengthen your belief in the human spirit.
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