Total Page : 368
Publisher : Vintage
Publication Date : 2010 06 15
>> Heavy handed manipulation for naught
I am simply flabbergasted by the rave reviews of this novel I ve yet to come across even a remotely negative reaction to this book on any online reader site So I suppose I stand alone in thinking that David Eggers Zeitoun is a slow plodding novel Worse I always feel as though I am being manipulated by the author s heavy hand as to how I should feel about everything that occurs
For instance I have no idea why the main character and his family have to be Muslim in order to illustrate the mayhem and tragedy immediately following Hurricane Katrina The inherant cultural details of the title character s country of origin Syria and his religion take up an inordinate amount of the novel as if these facts are crucial to the narrative I argue Zeitoun could be any religion to experience the events of this novel and frankly Eggers demonstrates as much himself through several minor characters Once Zeitoun s predictament is resolved it is clear that what happened to him had absolutely nothing to do with who he was but more that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time What happened to Zeitoun is what happens when a civilization falls apart not when a civilization falls apart in a country where being a Muslim is not popular with non Muslims
An historical novel that focuses on the details of an individual to convey the broader details of that history is a long time tradition of storytelling However while the thrust of Zeitoun s particular situation is always in the context of his nationality and religion there is never any payoff to these facts there is only insinuation I believe Eggers wanted to say a lot more about the US government under Bush the National Guard FEMA the justice system police and local government but he didn t have the guts So he resorted to winks and slight of hand irony and I m not buying it
>> Don t waste your time
What an unfortunate book What Eggers does is to exaggerate a foolish decision by an individual into a horror story of bias and discrimination The facts are simple enough Zeitoun failed to accept the warnings of New Orleans authorities and stayed in the flooded city after his family moved to safety In fact his family would have been better off much more comfortable and far less fearful had he looked after THEM as he should In fact he didn t save anybody He tried to help some dogs but they died Certainly there was racial/ethnic bias There s a big surprise We had been attacked Zeitoun was a member of one of the ethnic groups which attacked us We really don t understand how may Arabic speaking immigrants and their progeny we have in the US Danny Thomas was Syrian George Mitchell the son of Lebanese parents as was Dr DeBakey the heart surgeon The author of The Exorcist had Arab ancestry There have been many members of Congress who had Arab parents or grandparents Yet Americans persist in seeing them as a very foreign element more so since 9/11 Zeitoun knew this he had to And still he stayed For an Arab American like me the book is a horrible reading experience we are Americans I served in Combat in Korea and had a career as a US Diplomat because Zeitoun caused the bias to happen
Don t buy this book instead buy Hourani s A History of the Arab Peoples
>> Devastating fascinating surreal heartbreaking a must read
I grabbed this for a train ride without any expectations and could hardly put the book down until I finished it the following day I have never been to New Orleans and am not religious but this story of one Muslim man s efforts to save people and animals in the aftermath of Katrina and what befalls him is simply riveting I also agree with other reviewers that this is a very important book for all Americans to read from a human rights perspective Do yourself a massive favor and don t miss it
