Zeitoun

Zeitoun was a hero. In Zeitoun, author Dave Eggers narrates the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun the Syrian-American owner of a painting and contracting company in New Orleans, Louisiana who chose to ride out Hurricane Katrina in his Uptown home. However, in 2005 Katrina was a hurricane no one was prepared for and, for those who lived in Louisiana, New Orleans, it was nothing short of a disaster. Many residents left their homes in search of shelter from the approaching hurricane. While some residents stayed behind to protect their homes and valuables, others who were not physically capable to evacuate.
Zeitoun and a 3 other men were arrested in one of his rental properties without any reason or explanation by a mixed group of U.S. Army National Guard soldiers and local policemen. Finally, they were made aware they are being charged with looting, all four of them, according to the officer driving the van, giving them the reason for their detainment, he stated an officer witnessed all four of them leaving a Walgreens with non-purchased goods.During that time he and the others arrested with Zeitoun was accused of terrorist activity apparently because of religion, the large amount of money found on their possession and maps of the city and storage disc, they were given food and drinks during the stay at the Greyhound Camp, and Zeitoun was refused medical attention and the use of a phone to alert his family as well as the rest of the Katrina prisoners. His wife and daughters, staying with friends far away from the city, only knew that he had seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.