About Zeitoun
Zeitoun is a nonfiction account of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painting contractor, who stays in New Orleans to protect his property and help his neighbors while his family flees during Hurricane Katrina.After the storm, the book’s central character travels the flooded city in a secondhand canoe rescuing neighbors, caring for abandoned pets, and distributing fresh water. However, Zeitoun is wrongly arrested and is accused of being a member of al-Qaida and sees that his race and culture may explain his predicament. The book addresses social and cultural issues plaguing our society (
video).
Click here to read an excerpt of Zeitoun courtesy of the New York Times.
About Zeitoun's Author, Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is the author of numerous books, including the memoir,
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and the novel
What Is the What, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. In 2009, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. He is also the founder of a nationwide group of nonprofit, drop-in, writing and tutoring centers for youth and a co-screenwriter for the 2009 films
Where the Wild Things Are and
Away We Go.
Meet the Author
Mr. Eggers will discuss his writings at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 20, at a free program at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street, Sacramento. Egger’s appearance is presented in conjunction with California Lectures and
The Sacramento Bee. Both are presenting partners with the Sacramento Public Library for this year’s
One Book Sacramento: Connecting Our Communities.