Book Report For Zeitoun

Josselyn Rendon

Professor Elizabeth Miossec-Backer

WR121

25 January 2015

Zeitoun

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers is a novel that portrays the faith of a man and a family when faced by disaster. Eggers introduces the reader to Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his wife Kathy. Zeitoun is the owner of a painting contractor business. They face the terrible disaster of Hurricane Katrina that takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. As the reports of Katrina grow Kathy urges Zeitoun to evacuate. Kathy and their four children leave to a house in Baton Rouge. Zeitoun stays behind to keep an eye on the house and his business. Hard events unfold for Zeitoun because he faces prejudice and racism. That is the biggest disaster for him. What lead to the false imprisonment of

At land sight, the hurricane generated awful flooding that went up to the second floor of many houses. Zeitoun, decided to mount on his canoe to scatter his supplies and check on his neighbors. Just after Hurricane Katrina, Zeitoun along with three others got arrested and taken away by the U.S. Army National Guardsmen and the local police. This was the most hooked part of the book since he has gone missing for six days. Throughout his legal situation, Zeitoun wasn’t allowed to have communication with his family and was locked in a cage. He was also mistaken to be a terrorist. Zeitoun was humiliated by the officers inside a makeshift prison for more than twenty days and was refused to have any medical

Nevertheless, everything else that followed can be considered an act of inequality and deterioration. It was an outright deterioration of Zeitoun’s rights that the law didn’t bother to check primarily because he was being in question of being from a different nationality. The experience of Zeitoun is not the only case. It is all over the news and the media people from Middle Eastern descent are being stereotype as “terrorists”. Racism has become a part of their daily lives for some people. In the book the writer states: “Zeitoun’s frustration with some Americans was like that of a disappointed parent. He was so content in this country, so impressed with and loving of its opportunities, but then why sometimes, did Americans fall short of their best selves? If you got him started in the subject, it was the end of any pleasant meal” (Eggers 37). Zeitoun expresses his frustration about the racism of some Americans. This line suggests that America as a nation isn’t evolved despite the believe that is one of most advanced and developed countries in the world. It is evident with how the government as well as the people ignores the rights of other