Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

We had some really interesting discussions relating to Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.  Everyone enjoyed it, and it provoked some terrific conversation.

Some highlights:

• Why even bother with looters?  Didn’t they have bigger fish to fry?  Was that just a diversionary tactic to cover up a terrible government response?
• How was it that none of us had even heard of Camp Greyhound?  How does someone in this country actually get “lost” in a prison system?
• It seemed to be a natural, universal feeling of people to want to just “go down there,” even though there was nothing anyone could do.
• Everything was in total chaos, no one was in charge, and everyone was terrified.  Could you almost understand the perspective of the arresting officers?
• What an embarrassment and disappointment for our country.
• Crisis either brings out the best in people or the worst in people.
• Beautiful representation of Islam
• It’s not surprising that Kathy was worse off afterward, since she didn’t know if Zeitoun was OK, whereas he always knew that his family was safe.
• People are weirdly attached to New Orleans because it’s such a unique place, so a lot of them have gone back.  Amazing that the Zeitouns went back.
• Change to FEMA rule – they will now rescue pets with people.  It’s hard to imagine how traumatized people were who were forced to leave their pets.
• Who shot the dogs?  Police or looters?

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

What a polarizing book we discussed!  Is A Prayer for Owen Meany the greatest book ever written, a total waste of time, or simply unreadable??  Most of the group couldn’t get through it.

Some random thoughts:

• Though a few in the group really love this book, even those people agreed that there was a lot of what seemed to be extraneous information and detail that had no purpose in driving the story forward.
• Melissa heard John Irving say that he wrote the book to include miracles that would make someone like him believe in God.
• The movie “Simon Birch” is based on this book but it stinks.
• The narrator was an exceedingly dull character who rode Owen’s coattails.
• The Christmas pageant scene is hilarious.
• Is this book too wordy, or is it great writing?