Bookish Review: Zeitoun

Zeitoun was a hard read for me. I lived through Katrina and I remember what it was like returning to the city nearly a month after--it was like coming to a third world country. I know what a nightmare it was and how horrific the devastation was, but even so, I was shocked at the story recounted in the book. Abdulrahman Zeitoun stayed behind in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, though his family left. He was arrested--in a house that HE OWNED--and wrongfully imprisoned and was not even allowed to call his wife. She assumed he had been killed. If you were not living in New Orleans before, during, and/or after the storm, you really can't imagine what it was like, but this story gives good insight. You will be horrified and shocked that such a thing happened on American soil. The book was not as enjoyable or hopeful read as Finn McCool's Football Club, another Katrina memoir, but it is an important and interesting one. It is always difficult for me to read about Katrina, and I think this story would be difficult to read for anyone to read this story, as we would like to believe that something like this could not happen here, but it did, and that is important for everyone to know.