Zeitoun, Dave Eggers’ nonfiction book about the surreal disappearance of a Syrian-American father after Hurricane Katrina, is the 2010 One City One Book selection. One City One Book is an annual San Francisco Public Library program to try to get San Francisco to read and discuss the same book--and think about related issues.
The highlight of the program is a talk by Eggers about Zeitoun and his writing, on Oct. 14, 2010, at the Main Library. His talk is followed by a Q & A session with the audience.
Other One City One Book events include films about Katrina’s aftermath, how-to seminars on collecting oral history, disaster preparedness workshops, and a discussion about civil liberties abuses against Americans with Middle-Eastern heritage.
About Zeitoun: Abdulrahman Zeitoun, who runs a contracting firm in New Orleans, has his family evacuate after Hurricane Katrina but stays behind to protect his property and his business. He canoes through the flooded streets, helping to rescue people and deliver supplies. Then he suddenly disappears. The accusations and discrimination Zeitoun confronts make you wonder, “How could this happen in the US?”
About Eggers: Eggers, who lives in San Francisco, is the founder and editor of independent publishing house McSweeney's. He is a co-founder of 826 Valencia, a pioneering, nonprofit writing center for youths in the Mission. Other cities have since replicated his 826 Valencia model.
