Zeitoun Response

"And it only takes one person, one small act of stepping from the dark to the light." (Zeitoun, 319)

I chose this quote because I think it explains a lot about Zeitoun's character. He tried to be that one person to make a difference whether it was God's will or his own motivations, or both. He tried to make those small acts of kindness and rightness possible in such a unfortunate predicament in his life and the life of the city and nation.
Zeitoun was interesting to read. At times, it rattled my furry or reached my sympathy but never failed to keep my reading, that's for sure. It's a page-turner. I wasn't sure what I was going to read after the city flooded. I am most surprised at Zeitoun's resilience and his true essence of a man of God. It's striking how he can still be so humble through everything he'd been through unrightfully, but then again, that's what makes him a true man of God. Even at the end of the novel, I was shocked that he would sacrifice his mental comfortability by staying in New Orleans for the sake of his family and the city itself. That was still their home regardless of what ugly remnants he had haunting him everyday in the back of his mind. The fact that he didn't just walk away from it all is inspiring. Especially, when he still tries to make things better after the after math of Katrina.
I think what I love most about this book, is the way it is written. If it had been written formally or with "literary trickery or theatrical devices"(James Wolcott, Vanity Fair) it would not have had the same affect on its readers. It is purely humanistic, insightful and hopeful.
Zeitoun was also educational for me as well in the aspect of religion. I didn't know much about the Qur'an except that it was the worshiping book of Islam. By learning more about the Islamic faith, it also somewhat introduced me to Zeitoun on a more personal level. As if, I were actually meeting him.
Needless to say, Zeitoun was riveting enough to slowly pull me into its story and now I am interested to see what direction my paper takes.