Zeitoun ~ David Eggers - September Book Club Online

[JoanK]

 
The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  everyone is welcome to join in.

 

SEPTEMBER Book Club Online

Zeitoun ~  by David Eggers

 
 

" In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers expertly captures the Zeitoun family’s story of perseverance through forces of nature and man. This book is a testament to the city of New Orleans and the survivors of Hurricane Katrina who carry on and strive to rebuild. Zeitoun is narrative nonfiction at its storytelling best and Eggers valiantly provides writing worthy of the source material."   Mike Sullivan  About.com Book review "It’s the stuff of great narrative nonfiction"  Timothy Egan ~ New York Times Book Review

SCHEDULE FOR DISCUSSION:

Sept l -8           PART I
Sept. 9 - 16          PART II
Sept. 17- 23         PART III
Sept. 24 - 30        PART IV - V

Related links::
   Photographs - America's Greatest Heartbreak;
  About David Eggers; the town of Arwad;

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

1. Which of the images of the flood in the book was the most vivid to you? Why?

2. Zeitoun has strong, almost poetic, feelings about his canoe, and his travels in it.. .It makes him realize that he can be an explorer. While in it, he feels peace in his heart in the middle of disaster. Later, he says it is the canoe’s quiet nature that enables him to hear the softest cries for help. Do you understand these feelings? Do you have any object that you feel that way about?

3. In the book, there are many people who help:( Zeitoun, Frank, Yuko). And others who don’t (Cathy’s family, the many people who passed Zeitoun by, or promised to help but didn’t). Why does disaster bring out the best in some people and not in others? Have you experienced this?

4. Which of Zeitoun’s brothers do you think influenced him more: Mohammad or Ahmad? What do the stories of Zeitoun’s past add to the book?

5. Would you have gone to Phoenix, as Cathy did? Was it a wise decision? Do you have a friend like Cathy’s friend Yuko:” I’m your sister. You’re my sister. You’re all I have.”

6. Would you have worked as hard to save the dogs as Zeitoun did?

7. Do you understand why Zeitoun stayed, or do you, like Cathy, think he should have gone?


 

Discussion Leaders:   Ella & JoanK

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MIPPY: I'm so glad you're alright. That was scary.

On the TV interview, Cathy wore both the head covering and the traditional dress. She says in the book that the dress is a relief in situations where she worries about what to wear: it covers everything.

I was struck in the article Ella posted by the woman who said that wearing the traditional clothes forces people to concentrate on who she is and not what she looks like. (Of course in this country, it brings up all kinds of stereotypes about her.

[pedln]

Have just now finished sec. 1.  I really like Eggers' style -- we know what happened in New Orleans, but his writing still has an aura of suspense.  Even though you know better, you're hoping things will be okay for this family.

And what a delightful family.  I love the viewing of P & P for the umpteenth time, Kathy along with the girls.  And the story telling at bedtime, with Zeitoun watching from the doorway. The children must think their mom so cool, and their dad such a rock, so stable.

I'm trying to pinpoint their house on my map.  It's on Dart street -- there are two in NewO. Was there a particular section of NewO mentioned, where they lived?  I see what Kathy meant when she said she got on I-10 going the wrong way, and would have to cross the lake and take the long way to Baton Rougue. Can you visualize that -- being in being in 6 to 8 parking-lot lanes of traffic, not being able to change direction.

Were you surprised to hear that the Superdome had been used more than once in previous emergencies, and had been found to be lacking?

[JoanP]

Pedln, I'm remembering the scene where Kathy and the girls fell asleep together on the bed - how moved Zeitoun was at the sight.  A very loving close-knit family, as you say.  I wonder whether the girls will wear the hijab - will Kathy let them decide?

I was curious and looked for a map of their house - it seems to be not too far from the French Quarter - or the Garden District either.  His home should not have been flooded.  I found something curious in searching for the map - first I want to say that I haven't read beyond Part I...so I don't know what happened to the family after Katrina.  I don't know if they are living/working in New Orleans today.  I DON'T WANT TO KNOW - and I don't want to spoil the suspense for those who don't know where they are living now.  

That said - while searching for their street address I found this - http://www.superpages.com/bp/New-Orleans-LA/A-Zeitoun-Painting-Contractors-L2063307898.htm

It's an ad for the A Zeitoun Painting and Contractors - phone numbers - a map and directions to the office  - two offices actually.  There is a little map that can be enlarged - and you can see most of New Orleans.  This ad could be an old one - from before the flood - you know how things remain forever once on the Net.  If you think there may be a spoiler here for you, don't click the link - but I saw nothing to indicate when the ad was put up.

[Ella Gibbons]

MIPPY, I'VE CHANGED THE HEADING TO REFLECT A BETTER DIVISION OF THE BOOK, AND I HOPE IT WILL BE HELPFUL TO KINDLE USERS.

I WILL BE GONE TODAY, AND DON'T HAVE TIME TO RESPOND TO THE RECENT POSTS.  BUT HAVE READ THEM, AND WOULD LOVE TO - WILL LATER

[PatH]

I DON'T WANT TO KNOW - and I don't want to spoil the suspense for those who don't know where they are living now.  

I don't want to know ahead either.  Obviously they survived the storm, though, since they're giving interviews.

Eggers' approach is very good for suspense building.  He starts off with the approaching storm, and gradually builds suspense for it, but alternates with his background material--the story of the Zeitouns, their life, family, upbringing, etc.  So we care more and more about them, and that builds the suspense more.  And he hasn't gotten off to a slow start by giving us all the background first.

Incidentally, it's a great reporting job to get so much of their inner life out of the couple.

[pedln]

The house on Dart STreet -- according to my STreets and Roads program -- was FIVE miles from Lake Ponchartain (as the crow flies) and 1 1/2 to 2 miles from the Mississippi R.

[JoanK]

I like the description of the bantering style between Cathy and Zeitoun. I saw this in the interview. She was complaining about him (for assuming that she was having a good time without him), and he just sat there.

I was really tempted when I read the book to sneak a peek at the end (something I NEVER do) to see if they were alright. You at least know that they can give interviews.

[JoanP]

David Eggers puts so much of the personalities into the "characters"  in his book - and creates such suspense, you feel as if you are reading a novel, rather than an historical account of what happened in New Orleans after Katrina, don't you think?  Every so often I find myself doing a search on something described in the book - wanting to assure myself of the reality of the story, I guess.

One of the places described was the Presbytere Museum on Jackson Square - "It was a high profile job and Zeitoun wanted to get it right."  I'll say it was high profile - Most who visit New Orleans will remember it -

I love the way Zeitoun takes such personal interest in each of the sites he is working on -  As the storm approaches, he visits 18 sites, bringing in equipment, boarding windows, etc.

Mippy - I'm glad the storm veered off to sea before doing much damage.  Somehow, with Hurricane Earl past us, some of the excitement of reading of the approach of Katrina has died down with the winds.  Had that levee not given out, New Orleans would have gotten off with minimal damage too, don't you think?

I guess that's what I remember most about Katrina - the relief that the hurricane had passed and then the unbelievable pictures that followed.  The pictures in my head - aerial photographs of the flooded areas - rooftops, treetops, people on the rooftops waving for help...

[JoanK]

That is an amazing building! I wonder what has happened to it?

[JoanP]

JoanK, the Presbytere was built in 1797 -   that Zeitoun put so much work into - is located on Jackson Square in the center of the French Quarter.  It is now part of the Louisiana State museum system - open to the public.

I looked up the reason why the French Quarter escaped major damage - and find that this was the old town, "built on dry land that predated New Orleans' levee systems and sits 5 feet (1.5 m) above sea level. Some streets experienced minor flooding, and several buildings experienced significant wind damage. Most of the major landmarks suffered only minor damage. The Quarter largely escaped the looting and violence after the storm; nearly all of the antique shops and art galleries in the French Quarter, for example, were untouched."

When Bruce and I visited a few years after the flood, we found no signs of the flood in the French Quarter - except for the number of boarded up businesses and the large contingent of volunteers enjoying the beignets at the Cafe du Monde before heading out to help in the rebuilding efforts in the 9th ward and other flooded areas.

I'm concluding that if Zeitoun did return to New Orleans, there are still plenty of his old customers who would welcome him with open arms.

[Ella Gibbons]

Thanks, JOANP, for putting that picture here.  I love the history of some of these buildings.  I don't know, JOANK, if the Museum was damaged during the flood or not.  Here are two sites about it:

http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/Presbex.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andres_Almonaster_y_Rojas

That Rojas fellow was quite a guy!  Owned half the town or built half of it, but he built many charitable institutions especially the Leper Hospital.  I think we all know about the leper colony in Carville, Louisiana and the tragedies of the people who were sent there.

SATURDAY, August 27th:

Michael Brown, director of FEMA, told all residents to leave the city; to head inland as fast as they could.  Katrina could become a Category 5 by the time it made landfall and a Category 5 hurricane had only struck the USA 3 times before and never New Orleans.

The airport had closed and the Louisiana National Guard had called 4000 troops into service.

Why was the Guard called in at this time?  And I don't I remember if this is the only military service that was called up; I will watch as we read further.

[Ella Gibbons]

Hi JOANP.  Thanks for that information.  I have heard of the French Quarter all my life; one of those places I never visited though.  Somehow or other I thought that it was "sin city" and two women shouldn't visit alone!!!  My husband would not travel, so it was my daughter or a girlfriend that I traveled with.  I went fishing at Lake Erie with my husband, which was fun, too, but it wasn't inspiring architecture.

[JoanK]

I, too, have heard of the French Quarter all my life, but never knew what it is. New Orleans is certainly unique among American cities. I'm sad now that I never visited it.

[JoanP]

The French Quarter is still there, still intact.  And "girls"  are safe there alone...well, maybe not during Mardi Gras when everyone goes crazy!

I think New Orleans had plenty of time to get ready for the hurricane - to board up, to evacuate, time to call in the National Guard to help what looked like a sure hurricane disaster.  Ironic, the hurricane was not the problem, but the surge that caused the levee to break was.  Do you remember seeing all those people crammed into the Superdome - the overflowing toilets, etc?  Was really surprised to read that it had been used in the past and was found inadequate then, too. Doesn't it make you wonder what the plan is for the next emergency?

[Ella Gibbons]

JOANP, I hope that FEMA has learned from this disaster, certainly something - not to use the Superdome again in case of a hurricane in New Orleans!  But what was the alternative?  I know all those buses sitting empty and you wonder who was in charge and why wasn't it all done properly?  But there was no plan, no drill, so to speak.

Who to blame?  That is the question and the media can provide numerous answers, indeed, yes.

Where is everyone?  Out partying over Labor day I imagine??  Lots of grilling?  Overeating?  I did a fair bit of that yesterday, not a good thing to do.

[salan]

Oh my, where to start with my responses/questions.  I have been busy with company and before that doctor's appointments, so haven't taken time to post my thoughts.

First, Ella, I live in central Texas.  However, my husband, daughter & I lived in Baton Rouge for 9 years.  We made many trips to N.O. and my daughter's school took field trips there every year.  I went along with them as a parent volunteer.  Lovely city with so much atmosphere and character.  Girlfriends and I strolled the French Quarter numerous times and ate at some outstanding restaurants.  I just cried when I watched the destruction and the helplessness of people caught.

  The refugees that stayed with us were part of my family.  The churches in our area helped sponsor some families.  My town is very small (about 5,000) and we are in central TX..There were several families that took refuge here. 

Now to my thoughts on the book to date.  It is well-written and captures my interest, but so far, I have controlled myself and not read ahead.  I think the part that tells about Kathy's family values growing up is when she says that her friend's mother used to bathe her when she went to visit, because bathing was not a top priority in Kathy's house!  I find myself wondering why Kathy felt in necessary to dress the way she did when her husband did not wear his native clothing.  My mind is having trouble with that and I am trying not to be too judgemental.

Zeitoun probably used a lot of day laborers (construction companies do that).  Most of the day laborers are immigrants.  There may also been a reluctance for "legal" construction people to work for a Muslim who could not speak English very well. 

Finally, when the book states that "Americans fall short of their best selves"---I think that probably hold true no matter what nationality you are.  I am saddened when I hear about man's inhumanity to man!!

Enough for now~
Sally

[Ella Gibbons]

HELLO SALLY!  Am happy to see your post this morning!  I knew some of us were away over the holiday and, hopefully, will return as we finish PART I of the book.  Thanks for sticking to the schedule.

"My mind is having trouble with that (Kathy's persistence in wearing the cultural dress of the Muslim faith) and I am trying not to be too judgemental.

Yes, I think we all are!  We see woman in traditional clothing in my city of Columbus, Ohio all the time.  I may be very wrong about this, but I think when their children become teenagers (and beyond) they will not longer feel it is necessary.  Second generation and all that!!   What do you think?

This cultural religion that Kathy joined is so new to her and then she married a Muslim.  Big chnges and influences in her life.

Reading about the preacher who counted the collection plate in church and chastised the congregation for not giving enough and then the other incident in church when the minister sneered at Kathy openly one can see how the teenager would search elsewhere for something to believe in.  And her friend, Yuko had found comfort in Islam.  It was a natural progression.

Or not?  What do you think?

Our book started with the day FRIDAY, August 26th.  On SUNDAY, August 28th, Mayor Nagin ordered the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation. We'll discuss the importance of that order in our next section of the book.

[JoanK]

Sometimes converts to a religion are more observant than those who grew up with it. I have noticed that several times.

In the TV interview, Cathy wore not only the headdress but the traditional dress as well. But we know fron the book that that was not her usual practice (when Zeitoun first saw her, she was wearing jeans!) I am guessing she did this on the interview either to hide her weight, because she didn't have Western clothes that were chicky enough for TV (I certainly don't -- If I had to appear on TV, I'd love to have something like that to "hide behind"), or perhaps to make a statement about her new religion.

If you were to be on a TV show, what would you wear?

[Ella Gibbons]

What would I wear if I were asked to be on TV? 

What a question, JOANK!  I would worry about it for days and days; should I be myself and dress normally or should I go buy something expensive, get makeup and hair done?  What statement should I be making?

I'm 82 years old, what can one do with a body like this? And then there are days when my voice comes out so weak sounding I can't believe I'm hearing it.  That's not me.

I wish I could have seen the interview with the Zeitouns, is it on Youtube? 

But I can understand Kathy wearing the traditional dress, she is making a statement; proclaiming herself to be a wife to a Muslim husband and mother, a converted Muslim herself.   

[JoanK]

There are a number of interviews with Zeitoun on youtube, but they all focus on parts of the book that we haven't read yet. I suggest we wait until later to look at them.

But I was wrong!! Looking, I see Cathy was not wearing traditional dress -- I don't know why I thought she was.

Here is a short exerpt from Tavis Smiley, but don't watch it if you don't want to know what happens later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1M5iaAISD0&feature=fvhl

[PatH]

My internet access turned flaky again, so this is something I wrote earlier today.  (Anyone thinking of signing up with Earthlink, please talk to me first.)

Wearing the traditional dress seems like a very logical result of the way Kathy was converted.  Her life was going through an incredibly difficult patch.  Deeply religious, she looked to her faith for comfort and strength, but it wasn't working.  Her trusted friend led her to Islam the right way, showing her its beauty, and how it was really just a different aspect of what she already believed, and what comfort and stability it could give.  Friends and family didn't accept her choice.  The dress was her way of making a statement: this is who and what I am now, whatever you may think.  This is real.  This is me.

[JoanP]

I can see Kathy wearing the traditional dress on TV, JoanK - but am still wondering about her wearing it when she went home to relaz with her sisters and her mother.  Something else was going on there, don't you think?

I think we are blessed to have you with us, Salan - you lived in Baton Rouge, where Kathy and the girls are staying - and you took in hurricane refugees.  You know what these people lived through. 

Can't find much on the Superdome and plans for future emergencies.    Everything I'm reading indicates there is a new plan in place for feeding stations around the city, but the emphasis is on the fact that it was the breached levee that caused the flood.  It is believe that the repaired levees will prevent such flooding again.  At least,  is where the federal money is going.  Here's an excerpt from one article I read -


"NEW ORLEANS — Five years after Hurricane Katrina flooded more than 80 percent of this city, the Army Corps of Engineers says billions of dollars of work has made the city much safer and many of its defenses could withstand a storm as strong as the deadly 2005 hurricane.
Since Katrina flooded New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, and killed more than 1,800 people, New Orleans has become a round-the-clock construction site and Congress gave the Army Corps more than $14 billion to fix and upgrade the levees and other defenses. Numerous breaches in the hurricane protection system led to the flooding that devastated the New Orleans area. The corps says about half of the work is complete, and the rest should be finished by next summer.

The threat of flooding from another storm remains a top concern in the city, which has a population that's about 80 percent of what it was before Katrina.

The corps has given itself until June 2011 to make the city safer from big storms, and says it will meet the deadline. Once the upgrades are complete, the corps says very little of the city would flood if a storm like Katrina were to hit again.
The corps' brass say that even such a storm were to hit tomorrow, the city would be in much better shape.

Rogers said that while "everybody's attention is focused on what failed the last time," the next major storm could expose new weak points.

Despite the uncertainties, residents are feeling better about their chances."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gXUh265j76zf8hFaymiXyBZjwbXgD9HRV6QG0

[Aberlaine]

I remember being glued to the TV during the days after Katrina.  I couldn't believe that no one was coming to help.  "Heck of a job, Brownie!" indeed.  ProPublica wrote many stories about the aftermath of the storm: http://www.propublica.org/nola/

One of the reporters, Sheri Fink, won an award for her story about what happened at the Memorial Medical Center:  http://www.propublica.org/topic/deadly-choices-memorial-medical-center-after-katrina

[Ella Gibbons]

"Friends and family didn't accept her choice." - PATH

How difficult would that be for a family?  Particularly when your daughter is so zealous that she  wears a headdress in your own home?  I think I would accept that, probably go to the mosque with her, and wear a headdress also, but I don't know!!!
Can one visit a mosque without being Muslim do you think?

Thanks, JOANP, for that information about the repairing, rebuilding of the levees.  Do you think that the people along the east coast were more willing and better prepared to evacuate when Hurricane Earl was in the news because of Katrina?  It would be great if a couple good things came out of this disaster.  I think possibly the media should have shown the thousands of people who came to help from across America.  Several churches in my little town of Gahanna sent members down for weeks.  I have a neighbor who went for a month and she will never get over the destruction of a city that she saw and the poor people who had no place to go.

NANCY,  do you get most of your news from the PROPUBLICA site?  While I am asking what do you believe about the Internet replacing the newspaper, news magazine and TV?

Isn't it amazing that Zeitoun's brothers and sisters have all done so well all over the world; his cousin in New Orleans owning 4 Subway franchises.  And they are so close; if he makes one phone call to any of them he gets the news from all the family.

Tomorrow we go on to the next section, but we haven't mentioned the rainbow on Zeitoun's truck.  He was ignorant of the meaning of it, as was I, but it shows his character that he left it there. 

"Think about it, he said.  We're a Muslim couple running a painting company in Louisiana.  Not such a good idea to turn away clients." 

It wasn't complicated, Zeitoun laughed.

[JoanP]

I'm not sure that the evacuations from East Coast beach towns went smoothly as Earl threatened - those who had rentals for summer cottages were under mandatory evacuation orders - but if they didn't have to go, the residents stayed on.  I was watching the Outer Banks of North Carolina because that's our favoirte vacation spot - almost bought a cottage right on the beach years ago - but you couldn't get insurance for it - so Bruce wouldn't take the chance.  Such a vulnerable strip of land off-shore - these are barrier islands.  Still people stayed there despite warnings.  I guess they don't connect hurricane damage, sea surges, etc. with the levee in New Orleans.  A real  test will be how smoothly evacuation goes out of New Orleans the next time a hurricane threatens...


I had never heard of the rainbow as a symbol of anything but Jesse Jackson's multicultural  Rainbow coalition - which is actually a good symbol for A. Zeitoun's business - the workers he hired of many races.  When did the rainbow become a symbol for  gay pride?  Maybe it was the rainbow shown a a flag instead of the usual rainbow arc?    I looked it up and found this~

Gay & Lesbian Pride Symbols
Common Pride Symbols and Their Meanings
Use of the Rainbow Flag by the gay community began in 1978 when it first appeared in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Borrowing symbolism from the hippie movement and black civil rights groups, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in response to a need for a symbol that could be used year after year. The 6 Colors of the flag are Red for life Orange for healing Yellow for sun Green for nature Blue for harmony Purple for spirit


I think the Zeitoun's response when told of this meaning was telling - indicating their confidence in themselves and the quality of the work that they did.  There is not tolerance for prejudice or bias in their vocabulary.

[JoanK]

That's interesting about the rainbow. I'm not sure I would have recognized the symbolism either.

Tomorrow we start the new section. I'm really looking forward to it This is the best part of the book IMO.

[JoanK]

In Maryland, I had neighbors who unexpectadly had triplets, giving them six children under the age of 8. They (probably the husband) decided to go for a vacation on the Outer Banks. They spent hours loading the car with all the equipment needed for these kids, drove down there and spent hours unloading. They were no sooner finished than a neighbor came running over "You can't stay--- a hurricane is coming."

So they spent hours loading up again, drove home, and spent hours unloading. "I'll never go on a vacation again" the mother told me. "I've never been so exhausted in my life."

(Later, the husband got offered a job abroad. "Servants are cheap there. We're going!" she said.

[JoanK]

"And they are so close; if he makes one phone call to any of them he gets the news from all the family."

He's not the only one! I called my sister-in-law yesterday to wish her happy new year, and got all the news about her four children and eleven grandchildren. Today, I have to call my daughter and pass it on. She'll want to know what every last one of them is doing -- heaven forbid I should forget. I should have taken notes!

[serenesheila]

This morning, I read a short article, on page 6, in the September 13th issue of Newsweek.  It is titled "The Guard's New Recruits In Iowa.  This article says that  "Louisianna's amd Missiissippi's Guard entire units were in Afghanistan and Iraq, when Katrina made landfall in 2005".  It took 2 days for the depleted Kansas guard to respond to a tornado in 3007.

No wondeer there was not an immediate response to Katrina!

Sheila

[Aberlaine]

Ella, I get my news from various sources.  These days, I trust none of them without verification.  Internet news is especially weak in truth.  It used to be that opinion was kept on the "opinion" page.  Now, opinion is news.

If I had to trust one news source, it would have to be PBS.  ~~ Nancy

[joyous]

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge (8l.5 years ago)and never left "the nest"---so to speak.  Baton Rouge is only about an hour or less from N. O.
One of my daughters and family live on the Northshore (Mandeville)---across Lake Pontchartrain from N. O.  When Katrina threatened, they had a 10 day old baby, a 1 year old, and an 8 year old.  My daughter and children came home to Baton Rouge when the evacuation notices got urgent.  Her husband stayed behind to close up the house, etc.  By the time he was on I-10 from Mandeville to B. R. all traffic was a one-way only direction.  It took him about 6 hours to make a trip that usually takes about 1 hour. BTW-- ( Lake Pontchartrain is 25 miles across from N. O. via the Causeway.)
JOY-in Baton Rouge,LA

[PatH]

Goodness, joyous, what an ordeal, going through all that 10 days after giving birth.  Thank goodness they all got away safely.

[Ella Gibbons]

Hi SHEILA!  Thanks for the post!

Mississippi (I love typing that name) National Guard.  Not home to help with the flood!   Well, here is a paragraph from Wikipedia stating much the same:

"Some concern over the availability and readiness of the Louisiana National Guard to help stabilize the security situation was raised. Guardsman Lieutenant Colonel Pete had commented that "dozens of high water vehicles, humvees, refuelers, and generators were abroad."[58] At the time of the hurricane, approximately 3,000 members of the Guard were serving a tour of duty in Iraq. With total personnel strength of 11,000, this meant that 27% of the Louisiana National Guard was abroad."   - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_Hurricane_Katrina_in_New_Orleans

We have never instituted a draft for these middle-eastern wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, and consequently, the government is getting troops wherever they can, and using them for 2-3-4 tours.

What should they do instead?

[JoanP]

It is posts like yours, Joy, that keep reminding me that this dramatic story is real, that none of this is fiction.  I guess I wasn't surprised that Kathy was finding the situation in Baton Rouge stifling.  Everyone's tempers were short living in such close quarters.  I was surprised that she didn't wait for Zeitoun though - that she went on to Texas without him.  It was as if she didn't think he was going to come to her and the children any time soon.

And what about him - staying on in the flooded city?  At first I understood that he felt he needed to board up the projects he was working on - gather the equipment and secure it so that it wouldn't cause damage once the hurricane hit.  But afterwards, after the flood, he seems to be on a high, feeding the animals, paddling around in his little canoe trying to be of help to those not picked up in the motor boats or helicopters.  He really seemed to like the idea of being a hero...without too much concern for what Kathy was going through.  Do you look at him as a selfless hero?

Ella, we were posting together - will be back to consider your question in a few minutes...

[Ella Gibbons]

NANCY, I AGREE, NPR is probably the best news source and, besides, there are no commercials and they are factual with not a lot of debate, opinions (and "opinions are news elsewhere, yes!).

JOYOUS, I have a question.  It was Lake Ponchartrain that flooded the city right?  Not the Mississippi River?  I can't seem to get that straight in my mind.  I know in our book Zeitoun states that it was Lake water coming in on Tuesday, August 30th, and he started moving everything up to the roof.  I think I would agree with what he took up, what he was able to carry through the roof.  MERCY!

[Ella Gibbons]

Hello JOANP.  I wondered the same also.  Why didn't he leave after he checked everything he owned.  Kathy was begging him to come and he was a good husband, father.  I would have been exasperated with him, as she was.

[Ella Gibbons]

We have put new questions in the heading for your consideration as you read our next section, PART II.  The Flood!

[JoanP]

Maybe we're being too hard on him, Ella - thinking too much of how Kathy must have been feeling.  Imagine watching the scene unfold on TV - floating rooftops - armed looters.  Could he have made his way to Baton Rouge at that point? Or was it too late?  Those who wanted out just found a way to the helicopters and were air lifted - to where?  I'm not sure he could have gotten to her if he wanted to.  (But it seems that he was having an exhiliarating time right there in his canoe...

[JoanK]

How do you feel about him and his canoe? Do any of you understand how he felt?

[serenesheila]

It seems to me that his first responsibuility should have been to his family!  I can not understand why they didn't all stay together.  His children must have been traumatized not hearing from him for days.  It must have left emotional scars on each of them.

I also find it strange that Kathy didn't tell her husband that if things got out of hand in Texas, she would go on to Arizona.  In addition, why didn't he keep Kathy's phone number in his pants?  He seems to have assumed that the phone would continue to work in his rental property.  Under the circumstances that was an absured possibility.

ELLA, IMO, our troops should not have been in the Middle East.  The Guard's primary responsibility is to protect the USA.  Each time I hear how many deaths there have been, over there, I get angry.  Also, how much money this has cost.

Sheila