Zeitoun (2009) is a gripping nonfiction narrative by Dave Eggers, chronicling the harrowing true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American contractor who chose to stay in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina (2005) to protect his home and business. As the floodwaters rise, Zeitoun paddles through the submerged city in a canoe, rescuing stranded neighbors and feeding abandoned pets—only to be arrested by militarized police under false suspicions of looting and terrorism.
Eggers’ spare, urgent prose immerses readers in the chaos of post-Katrina New Orleans, exposing systemic failures, racial profiling, and the dehumanizing conditions of the makeshift Camp Greyhound prison. The book also threads the story of Zeitoun’s wife, Kathy, who fled with their children and spent weeks frantically searching for him.
A testament to resilience and injustice, Zeitoun became a lightning rod for debates about civil liberties post-9/11.
For similar reads, try The Great Deluge (2006) by Douglas Brinkley for a broader Katrina history, or What Is the What (2006) by Eggers for another epic survival story.
