Author Topic: Zeitoun ~ David Eggers - September Book Club Online (Read 80939 times)

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #40 on:** August 17, 2010, 07:54:04 AM »

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 Pages 1-81
Sept. 9 - 16 Pages 85 - 170
Sept. 17- 23 Pages173 - 224
Sept. 24 - 30 Pages 225-325

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

Discussion Leaders: Ella & JoanK

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I have a neighbor who spent 6 weeks with a group from her church in New Orleans after the flood. Many churches sent folks to help. She has read the book but doesn't have a computer; however she has many stories to tell of the devastation, the poor people whose homes were gone and had no place to go.

I would love to have a beignut with my breakfast; toast will have to do!

I took a bus tour through New Orleans about one year after the flood. We had a group leader on board who had lived through the flood. I remember her telling of the many people, those who had the means to do so, leaving the city and getting jobs elsewhere; she said they will never come back. - Ella

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #41 on:** August 17, 2010, 07:57:26 AM »

WELCOME PATH!

JoanK · « **Reply #42 on:** August 17, 2010, 02:22:22 PM »

Funny how when you're interested in a subject, you see it everywhere. There is a PBS series called "Great Museums". Yesterday, they did a program on "New Orleans, a living Museum of Music". I hadn't known it was on, so saw only the last bit: the idea being that music and the history of music, is so intertwined with NO life, that the city is like a museum of music.

PatH · « **Reply #43 on:** August 18, 2010, 06:25:38 PM »

Yesterday, in honor of my birthday, two of my buddies took me out to dinner at the local Louisiana restaurant. I'm sorry I forgot my camera, or I could have posted another picture of beignets. They were great, freshly fried, still hot, puffy and light. A wonderful cuisine, but a disaster in terms of heart health, calorie counting, or stomachs sensitive to hot spices.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #44 on:** August 18, 2010, 06:58:57 PM »

If you are reading this, you need to know that PATH and JOANK are twins and they celebrated their birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday to the two of you!

My Mother-in-law, years ago, when my husband and I were dating, used to fry doughnuts - doughnuts that she had made from scratch - in a big pot of boiling oil and their family loved them. I never did, and I can'at remember why, but I don't like dough and I think they were very doughy and greasy. Wonder what she did with all that leftover grease?

Louisiana Restaurants! I don't think we have any such in the midwest. Aren't their foods spicy? And fishy! I had crab cakes once and didn't like them! What else was on the menu, PAT?

Mippy · « **Reply #45 on:** August 19, 2010, 06:38:55 AM »

Happy, Happy Birthday to PatH and JoanK !!! Hope you both enjoyed the day !!!

pedln · « **Reply #46 on:** August 19, 2010, 12:50:00 PM »

Ella, when I was growing up my mother always referred to the "solid" donuts. with or without powdered sugar, as "fried cakes. Only the puffier donuts were called donuts. I loved the fried cakes, but maybe now have about one per year.

I've only been to New Orleans once, in 2003, before Katrina. Loved it.

Did anyone see Spike Lee on CNN this morning? He has a post-Katrina documentary called "If God is Willing and the Creek Don't Rise." What was surprising is that he said the ending was to be with the Saints winning the SuperBowl, on a positive note, etc. And then came April 20? and he has added an hour to this documentary all dealing with the BP oil disaster.

Mippy, I've got one of the new Kindles (wi-fi only) on order, supposed to be 2-day shipped on 8/27. If it can get here before New York, fine. Otherwise I may cancel. I'm also No. 1 in line for the book from my library -- when they get it.

You folks who have Kindles -- do you need a cover for it, or a skin -- whatever that it -- or a screen protector? I'm hoping to be able to always carry it in my purse.

JoanK · « **Reply #47 on:** August 19, 2010, 02:11:07 PM »

Thank you it was a great bithday. The beignets sound similar to the "flannel cakes" that are sold here as a Mexican treat. But flannel cakes are bigger.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #48 on:** August 19, 2010, 06:57:46 PM »

Fried cakes, flannel cakes! How interesting. Flannel - to keep one warm on a cold day? I think I've heard of "funnel" cakes also.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #49 on:** August 19, 2010, 06:59:04 PM »

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,funnel_cake,FF.html

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #50 on:** August 19, 2010, 07:57:56 PM »

THE BIG UNEASY - a documentary on Hurricane Katrina, in nationwide theatres August 30th. One day only!

http://www.thebiguneasy.com/

Right on time for our discussion! Check your local listings!

PatH · « **Reply #51 on:** August 20, 2010, 08:53:29 PM »

My book came today, in good time for getting going.

JoanK · « **Reply #52 on:** August 21, 2010, 02:28:19 PM »

I stand corrected. They are funnel cakes.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #53 on:** August 22, 2010, 10:45:41 AM »

Oh, darn, Joan. I liked the idea of "flannel" cakes.

Last night on CNN (8 pm EST) a documentary was shown and it will be shown tonight I believe, about Hurricane Katrina; actually not so much about the storm as about the redevelopment of a section of New Orleans that was completely devastated by the storm. The city was going to demolish all the homes but one person, an actor who had been brought up in the area, came from California to try to save it. Lake Ponchatrain.

Tears came rolling down my face as I listened and I am not an emotional person.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #54 on:** August 22, 2010, 11:50:54 AM »

The Lake:

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest saltwater lake in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. It covers an area of 630 square miles (1630 square km) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet (about 4 meters).

During hurricanes, a storm surge can build up in Lake Pontchartrain. Wind pushes water into the lake from the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane approaches from the south, and from there it can spill into New Orleans.

A hurricane in September, 1947 flooded much of Metairie, Louisiana, much of which is slightly below sea level due to land subsidence after marshland was drained. After the storm, hurricane-protection levees were built along Lake Pontchartrain's south shore to protect New Orleans and nearby communities. A storm surge of 10 feet (3 m) from Hurricane Betsy overwhelmed some levees in Eastern New Orleans in 1965 (while storm surge funneled in by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Canal and a levee failure flooded most of the Lower 9th Ward). After this the levees encircling the city and outlying parishes were raised to heights of 14 to 23 feet (4–7 m). Due to cost concerns, the levees were built to protect against only a Category 3 hurricane; however, some of the levees initially withstood the Category 5 storm surge of Hurricane Katrina (August 2005), which only slowed to Category 3 winds within hours of landfall (due to a last-minute eyewall replacement cycle).

Experts using computer modeling at Louisiana State University subsequent to Hurricane Katrina have concluded that the levees were never topped but rather faulty design, inadequate construction, or some combination of the two were responsible for the flooding of most of New Orleans: some canal walls leaked underneath because the wall foundations were not deep enough in peat-subsoil to withstand the pressure of higher water.[5] - Wikipedia

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/19/pontchartrain.park.new.orleans/index.html

pedln · « **Reply #55 on:** August 23, 2010, 10:50:29 AM »

The Spike Lee documentary, God Willin' and Da Creek Don't Rise is on HBO tonight and tomorrow night == in 2 parts. There was a full-page ad in today's USA Today. USA Today gave it a lousy review. Apparently his first one about Katrina -- When the Levees Broke -- is much better.

serenesheila · « **Reply #56 on:** August 23, 2010, 02:27:55 PM »

Over the weekend I watched an interview with Spike Lee, about that documentary. Part one is tonight on HBO. It is about the flooding in New Orleans when it happened. Tomorrow night's showing is the second part, about what is the situation there, five years after the event.

Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #57 on:** August 23, 2010, 03:29:33 PM »

Unfortunately, I don't get HBO. If any of you do, and watch the show, please let us know what you learn.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #58 on:** August 24, 2010, 09:00:48 AM »

I don't get HBO either, JOANK, so we must depend on others to tell us about it. I was in tears when I watched the CNN documentary; particularly an elderly black couple who had lived in their home for 50 years and lost everything.

serenesheila · « **Reply #59 on:** August 24, 2010, 07:46:56 PM »

Well, I watched Spike Lee's first installment. One of the scenes that got to me, the most, was a woman between 30 & 40 years old. She is African/American. She evacuated to a small town in Utah. There was not another black person in that little town. She was terrified. It raised up memories of stories she had heard all of her life, about lynching. She finally returned to New Orleans. She reconnected with her culture, and familiar places.

I found interviews with Michael Brown, very interesting. He really holds George W. Bush, responsible for the tragedies. Louiseanna had 75 % of the flood damage. Mississippi, suffered 25% of flood damage. Yet, Louiseanna received $25% of federal funds, and Mississippi received 75% of the federal funding. The governor of Louiseanna was a Democrat, while Mississipi was a Republican. HHHHHHHHmmmmmmmmmmm

Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #60 on:** August 25, 2010, 03:08:36 PM »

That's appalling!

salan · « **Reply #61 on:** August 25, 2010, 05:10:26 PM »

Just received notice that my book is on its way. Looking forward to our discussion.
Sally

JoanK · « **Reply #62 on:** August 25, 2010, 05:14:05 PM »

SALLY: HOORAH!

pedln · « **Reply #63 on:** August 25, 2010, 08:54:09 PM »

I'm first on the list, but my library hasn't received the book yet. My Kindle is on its way, but now, according to today's Wall St. Jrnl, Amazon is embroiled with some publisher contract that affects writers like Dave Eggers. So what to do -- wait on the lib or get the Kindle version, if possible, as soon as it gets here.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #64 on:** August 26, 2010, 09:23:22 AM »

PEDLIN, can't believe it! I have an idea that all library copies are out; my library has 0 copies on shelves and many requests. Perhaps this is due to the many programs on Hurricane Katrina??? They go and on, specials, documentaries with accusations against police, all officials, the National Guard, etc.

At the same time that we are discussing Zeitoun, a local bookclub, the Upper Arlington book club, is discussing it thereby limiting our copies.

Fortunately I bought one and it is sitting on my desk.

SHEILA, I haven't heard those facts about the federal funds! Yes, JoanR, said it best. Appalling! Many of the refugees are returning home, I've heard; there's no place like home regardless of the bad memories.

SALLY, glad your book is coming. It's going to a good discussion. Good discussion; good people; good book!

JoanP · « **Reply #65 on:** August 26, 2010, 10:50:37 AM »

Do you get the Parade Magazine with your Sunday paper? There's a piece called "What Should College Freshmen Be Reading?" - And then there are five nonfiction titles that are popular among colleges this fall. Did you see it? The five bookcovers are pictured - and one is Zeitoun. It jumped right off the page at me. Aren't we topical?

I'm #2 on the library wait list - the system owns 11 copies, so I'm looking good, don't you think?

PatH · « **Reply #66 on:** August 26, 2010, 01:22:31 PM »

JoanP, looks like your timing will be good. One renewal (if they let you when there is a waiting list) will more than do it.

JoanK · « **Reply #67 on:** August 26, 2010, 02:26:05 PM »

ATTN: tomorrow, Friday, Tavis Smiley will feature an interview with the Zeitouns: husband and wife.

If you're not familiar with Tavis Smiley, it's a PBS interview show. On my PBS station (KCET -- Tavis' home station) it airs at 7 and 11 pm every day. Usually 15 minutes of interview with a politician or newsmaker followed by 15 minutes of a Hollywood personality. I hope the Zeitoun's get all 30 minutes, but I couldn't tell.

Check it out. I'm anxious to see how they are doing after their ordeal.

JoanK · « **Reply #68 on:** August 26, 2010, 02:55:27 PM »

Notice that the reading schedule is now in the heading:

SCHEDULE FOR DISCUSSION:

Sept l -8 Pages 1-81
Sept. 9 - 16 Pages 85 - 170
Sept. 17- 23 Pages173 - 224
Sept. 24 - 30 Pages 225-325

serenesheila · « **Reply #69 on:** August 26, 2010, 10:39:21 PM »

ELLA and JOANK, I have our book on my Kindle. Could you list the reading schedule, also, by chapter, rather than pages? The Kindle doesn't tell pages. We are able to change the size of the print we choose, and that affects how much fits each page. If you aren't able to also list the reading schedule by chapters, I will just do the best I can.

Sheila

Mippy · « **Reply #70 on:** August 27, 2010, 06:42:23 AM »

Sheila ~ I appreciate your post, as I've also started the book on my Kindle.
If some of us read ahead, it's not a huge problem, IMHO.

The percentage read (which the Kindle notes) is some help, as the number of pages can be used to approximate that figure, which looks like about 25% of the book each week. Does that help a bit? My problem is reading too fast and not taking notes.

pedln · « **Reply #71 on:** August 27, 2010, 11:12:26 AM »

My Kindle is supposed to arrive today!!

But my library just got the book, so I think I'll read that one and save my Kindle dollars for books that they library doesn't have. Am picking the book up this week.

We've had the "different edition" problem before. An easy solution is for someone who has the book to just type in the last sentence of the section.

Mippy and Sheila, will you be making annotations on the Kindle? I'd like to know how to do that.

salan · « **Reply #72 on:** August 27, 2010, 11:32:37 AM »

Yeah! Just got the three books for our Sept, Oct, Nov selections. So, now I am ready to begin Zeitoun.
Sally

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #73 on:** August 27, 2010, 02:22:09 PM »

KINDLE READERS! Our first section ends with PART I. The last sentence is - "The dissonance woke him."

Do remind me to tell you the next section, will you please? I might forget that? Or I can do that now?

??

JoanK · « **Reply #74 on:** August 27, 2010, 04:52:06 PM »

In other words, it end with the end of Part I.

JoanK · « **Reply #75 on:** August 28, 2010, 02:20:56 PM »

Did any of you see the interview yesterday? It was nice to "meet" our protagonists in person.

salan · « **Reply #76 on:** August 28, 2010, 05:24:15 PM »

Joan, I watched the interview. It was interesting, but not as informative as I had hoped. I was puzzled as to why his Louisiana born wife (who had converted to Islam) was dressed in native "garb", while Zeitoun who was born in Syria and born into the Muslim faith, was dressed in American "garb". I have started the book and if it remains as interesting as it is starting out, then it will be hard for me not to read too far ahead. Should we be through reading thru the first part on the 1st?

Sally

serenesheila · « **Reply #77 on:** August 28, 2010, 06:17:04 PM »

Pedlin, I haven't learned how to make notes on my Kindle. So, I can't help you. I do not think it is necessary to have a coverfor your Kindle. My first Kindle came with one. That is no longer the case. I just ordered a new Kindle, with some features that interest me. My daughter will get my Kindle 2.

This weekend I need to get caught up with my reading. Thanks Ella and JoanK, for the info about how far to read this week.

Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #78 on:** August 28, 2010, 07:20:08 PM »

SALAN: yes, please read through Part I by the first.

I agree with you about the interview. That show is like that: the interviews are often not very informative. But we can now put a face to the Zeitound.

The book discusses how Cathy feels about wearing traditional garb.

JoanP · « **Reply #79 on:** August 29, 2010, 10:18:43 PM »

I was sorry to have missed the interview...I agree, it helps to put a face on the people of the book - when they are actual people.
I found this photo of the Zeitoun family for those of you who missed the interview...http://blog.nola.com/books_impact/2009/07/large_Zeitounfamily.JPG

I went to the front of the line and picked up my library copy of the book - am on my way up to bed to get started on it. Wonder how many pages I'll get read before I fall asleep...

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Author Topic: Zeitoun ~ David Eggers - September Book Club Online (Read 80939 times)