The Muslim-American community on Zeitoun
“Eggers does a masterful job weaving Zeitoun’s story together to show the multiple dimensions of his experience—Zeitoun’s belief in America’s highest ideals and principles and shock at their violation, his love of his community, his family’s fears and his current efforts to put this sad chapter behind him to focus on the real work at hand—rebuilding his home, New Orleans. This book and story will go down in history as many narratives do that recount incredibly transformative times in our nation’s history. What is so heartening is that Eggers avoids telling a ‘Muslim’ story and instead tells an important and rich American story through the experience of an exceptional American family that is Muslim, nothing more and nothing less.” 
—Jordan Robinson, altmuslim
One rarely imagines the quintessential image of an American hero having a Muslim, Arabic name. The Syrian American protagonist of Dave Eggers’ elegant and powerful new book Zeitoun bravely endures the harrowing tragedy of an apocalyptic, post Katrina New Orleans with dignity and resolve. —Wajahat Ali, Huffington Post
“I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Not only was I completely immersed in the story, but it’s important that we learn about one of the most defining events in recent U.S. history. Also, I loved how Eggers goes back and forth from the present to the past with events that provide insight on the people he documents throughout his book. The reader learns about Zeitoun growing up in Syria and his life at sea, what led Kathy to Islam, how Zeitoun and Kathy met and got married, and a multitude of other events that truly define these people and make them easy to relate to, making their struggle our struggle, whether one is Muslim or not.” —Media and Islam
Click here to return to the Foundation’s main page.