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libvin96's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a fascinating page turner and for the first time in awhile, I felt like I didn't want to put a book down until I was done. So clearly Dave Eggers' writing is pretty good. I couldn't give it the full five stars though due to the credible sources I discovered through other reviews showing that this is likely not true and that the "hero" of the story abused his wife and his business committed fraud. Even before I found that out, there were many points in the book where I kind of paused and questioned the credibility. The novel really plays up the good Samaritan vibes in Zeitoun, which is to contrast it with how horribly and unjustly he was treated by the judicial system. But it is admittedly hard to believe that a 47-year-old man who wasn't a strength trainer was just able to MacGyver his way through his flooded neighborhood, rescuing people, casually walking across planks eight feet above putrid water every day to feed dogs he didn't know - all without a hitch or any fear. It does sound like the heroics were exaggerated, and I can definitely see a lot of this story possibly being a fraud as other reviewers have suggested. I still found the book very important in how it discussed the intersections of Katrina, 9/11, womanhood, and Muslim identity. The attention to Camp Greyhound and the disparity between the government's idea of "order" and what the people in the city desperately needed to survive is also incredibly important. The topics and intersections of the book are very well woven, Eggers did some solid writing, but unfortunately the credibility is shot.
jrabbit12's review against another edition
3.0
Dave Eggers is one of my favorite story tellers and he doesn't fall short in Zeitoun. He paints vivid pictures of post-Katrina New Orleans allowing the reader to be a survivor of the flood instead of just a viewer of televised aerial images. Zeitoun's experiences and subsequent story within the destroyed city are eye-opening. The lack of a rescue system is frustrating as is the poor legal system which was implemented to arrest all "looters", a label placed on some, such as Zeitoun, who were only trying to help.
Eggers has produced another captivating and enjoyable read. Good job.
Eggers has produced another captivating and enjoyable read. Good job.
ueilalien's review against another edition
بعد أن قرأت بضعة صفحات من هذه الرواية و اتضح إلى حد ما أسلوبها و سيرها، قلت في نفسي إني أفضّل مشاهدة هذه القصة في فيلم على قراءتها، فقد بدت الوسيلة الأنسب لمتابعة هذهِ القصة، ربما كان ذلك بسبب طريقة الكتابة التي بدت لي مستعدة تمامًا في أي لحظة لتمثل فيلم على الطريقة الأمريكية النمطية. كانت طريقة الكاتب في عرض القصة رتيبة للغاية، خاصة بالقياس على الجهد و الرحلات التي قام بها للإقتراب من القصة، خالية من الطعم، مترددة أحيانًا، و بدا أن بالإمكان تقديمها بشكل أفضل على مختلف المستويات.
فهذهِ القصة تتناول حكاية مهاجر سوري استقر في نيوأورليانز و عاش في وئام إلى أن اندفع إعصار كاترينا و قاد الأمر بالنهاية إلى اعتقاله و حبسه تحت درجة مرعبة من السوء. المواضيع التي تناولتها الرواية هي بالتأكيد أقل المواضيع تفضيلًا بالنسبة لي، و هكذا تابعت القراءة لأني كنت بحاجة لقراءة شيء من أجل فعل القراءة نفسه و حسب.
فهذهِ القصة تتناول حكاية مهاجر سوري استقر في نيوأورليانز و عاش في وئام إلى أن اندفع إعصار كاترينا و قاد الأمر بالنهاية إلى اعتقاله و حبسه تحت درجة مرعبة من السوء. المواضيع التي تناولتها الرواية هي بالتأكيد أقل المواضيع تفضيلًا بالنسبة لي، و هكذا تابعت القراءة لأني كنت بحاجة لقراءة شيء من أجل فعل القراءة نفسه و حسب.
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
EDITED, July 2019 - Multiple reports from residents of NOLA have pointed out that Abdul Zeitoun is a con man and felon. The veracity of much of Eggers' tale is in question ... probably because the Zeitouns gave him false information. I'm leaving my rating and review as it stands because of the qualify of Eggers' writing of the story. But to call it NONfiction is probably a stretch.
====================
Book on CD performed by Firdous Bamji.
This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans.
Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun own and operate a contracting firm specializing in remodeling and refurbishing homes. In August 2005 as Hurricane Katrina heads for New Orleans, Kathy flees the city with their four young children, eventually winding up with friends in Phoenix. Abdulrahman (commonly known by his last name, Zeitoun) remains behind to watch over their properties. After the storm he paddles around the city in his canoe, helping numerous elderly neighbors escape, checking on the properties of various friends and clients, and caring for neighborhood pets that have been left behind. There is a working phone in one of the properties he owns, and Zeitoun faithfully calls Kathy each day at noon. He also speaks with his brother and sisters in Europe.
Kathy and his siblings urge Zeitoun to leave. They are watching news reports that show increasing chaos and they fear for his safety. But Zeitoun assures them that he is nowhere near the looting, the stadium, or the convention center. He has food and water and shelter, and two friends. He is fine, and he is doing good helping others.
Then, on Sept 6 the phone calls abruptly stop. He has simply disappeared. The city has completely shut down; Kathy cannot call the police or fire department or FEMA or the National Guard for help. She can only wait for word. Days turn to weeks….
This is a fascinating and infuriating story. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed and completely riveted by the tale. Eggers does a great job putting the reader into the setting – the peace and quiet of no electronics, the heat and humidity, the stench of rotting vegetation, and the unsettling sight of armed men patrolling (?) your once-peaceful neighborhood.
Firdous Bamji does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and his performance enhances the reader’s impression of Zeitoun as a thoughtful, faithful man, an everyman’s hero. And the way he voices Kathy when she has finally had ENOUGH, and starts yelling at the Homeland Security people … well, I wanted to stand up and cheer!
====================
Book on CD performed by Firdous Bamji.
This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans.
Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun own and operate a contracting firm specializing in remodeling and refurbishing homes. In August 2005 as Hurricane Katrina heads for New Orleans, Kathy flees the city with their four young children, eventually winding up with friends in Phoenix. Abdulrahman (commonly known by his last name, Zeitoun) remains behind to watch over their properties. After the storm he paddles around the city in his canoe, helping numerous elderly neighbors escape, checking on the properties of various friends and clients, and caring for neighborhood pets that have been left behind. There is a working phone in one of the properties he owns, and Zeitoun faithfully calls Kathy each day at noon. He also speaks with his brother and sisters in Europe.
Kathy and his siblings urge Zeitoun to leave. They are watching news reports that show increasing chaos and they fear for his safety. But Zeitoun assures them that he is nowhere near the looting, the stadium, or the convention center. He has food and water and shelter, and two friends. He is fine, and he is doing good helping others.
Then, on Sept 6 the phone calls abruptly stop. He has simply disappeared. The city has completely shut down; Kathy cannot call the police or fire department or FEMA or the National Guard for help. She can only wait for word. Days turn to weeks….
This is a fascinating and infuriating story. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed and completely riveted by the tale. Eggers does a great job putting the reader into the setting – the peace and quiet of no electronics, the heat and humidity, the stench of rotting vegetation, and the unsettling sight of armed men patrolling (?) your once-peaceful neighborhood.
Firdous Bamji does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and his performance enhances the reader’s impression of Zeitoun as a thoughtful, faithful man, an everyman’s hero. And the way he voices Kathy when she has finally had ENOUGH, and starts yelling at the Homeland Security people … well, I wanted to stand up and cheer!
anpu325's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it so much, but the way that people were treated because of their race and the chaos that arose after the disaster made me furious. I was so angry at some points that I simply had to put the book down and burn off some steam before coming back to it. However, it was well written and did a good job of analyzing issues of profiling of Muslims and Arabs as well as how poorly the Katrina disaster was handled by the government. A must-read.
tophat8855's review against another edition
3.0
The story: 4 stars.
The controversy around the book gives it 3 stars.
Also Zeitoun as a person: no stars for stalking his ex-wife.
If you're looking for a good read, this is a good read. But everything and everyone is complicated and people harassing women get no stars from me.
The controversy around the book gives it 3 stars.
Also Zeitoun as a person: no stars for stalking his ex-wife.
If you're looking for a good read, this is a good read. But everything and everyone is complicated and people harassing women get no stars from me.
suzilou1101's review against another edition
4.0
This book was incredibly hard to read. Then I made the mistake of googling Zeitoun to see what became of the family after this book was published.