Katrina's Deep End

Katrina’s Deep End
Zeitoun is a non-fiction novel about a remarkable man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family. This novel is based on their experiences through Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of the United States. Before reading this novel I did know a few things about Hurricane Katrina. I watched CNN for a while during this traumatic event and saw scenes that were very shocking to me. Sometimes I would helplessly watch people stranded on roofs trying to call out for help and at other times I people would be breaking into stores and stealing whatever they could get their hands on. It was as if I was watching people from a third world country, a place where there was anarchy and it really shocked me. Even though I saw people stealing things, I saw Americans come together to help out each other. However, after reading Zeitoun my view of Hurricane Katrina was completely changed.  
Abdulrahman was a very interesting character. He cared for everyone, not just his family. He was the ideal citizen. I was actually inspired by what he accomplished during Hurricane Katrina. He was one of the true unsung heroes of the natural disaster. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “ A home was worth fighting for.” This is literally what Zeitoun did; he did everything possible to save his home. He helped so many people that were trapped in their homes, he even fed stray dogs everyday. This was something no one could see on TV because the media was too busy covering the crimes during Katrina.
Another thing that surprised me was the fact that Katrina affected so many Muslims. Being a Muslim myself, I did not know that there were so many Muslims that were trapped in their homes because of the flooding. And Zeitoun himself being a Muslim inspired me even more. The book did a great job of revealing some of the stereotypes that Muslims face in the world today and clarifying them. It also introduced basic concepts of Islam...