Greenwich Reads Together
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Greenwich Reads Together 2012 was a great success with over 3,000 participants in programs and discussion groups designed to enhance and deepen understanding of Zeitoun. We want to know what you think! Please click here to complete a short survey.
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Zeitoun by Dave Eggers is the book that has been chosen by the community for Greenwich Reads Together.
The Book Selection Committee, composed of Greenwich Library staff from across several departments, focused on selecting the one book that will span the community in appeal and will lend itself to engaging public programs. To be chosen, the book has to be currently in print and available in large quantities and in multiple formats, including paperback, eBook, audiobook and large print.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. But, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. Eggers's riveting nonfiction book, three years in the making, explores Zeitoun's roots in Syria, his marriage to Kathy—an American who converted to Islam—and their children, and the surreal atmosphere (in New Orleans and the United States generally) in which what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun became possible. Like What Is the What, Zeitoun was written in close collaboration with its subjects and involved vast research—in this case, in the U.S., Spain, and Syria.
Additional Discussion Questions
Videos
Watch the Official Book Announcement
The Honorable James Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana– Podcast
Zeitoun Links
Reader's Guide and Discussion Questions
Reviews
Video
Additional Dave Eggers Titles
About Greenwich Reads Together
Several community organizations are part of the Steering Committee leading Greenwich Reads Together, including Greenwich Library, Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich Pen Women, Greenwich Public Schools and private schools, and Friends of Greenwich Library. Last spring, almost 20 community organizations participated in the 2011 Greenwich Reads Together, including Greenwich Alliance for Education; Greenwich Music Festival; Greenwich Pen Women; Greenwich Public Schools; Greenwich Senior Center; Jewish Historical Society of Lower Fairfield County; Nathaniel Witherell; Neighbor to Neighbor and a host of others. In total, more than 2,000 Greenwich residents participated in events, including two sold‐out sessions with Markus Zusak, author of the 2011 selection The Book Thief, and "Is the Book Dead?" -- a panel examining the future of the printed book and the impact of technology on reading.
Related Reading
- Jewell Parker Rhodes, Ninth Ward (official companion book, appropriate for grades 4 — 8)
- Douglas Brinkley, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf
- Michael Eric Dyson, Come Hell or High Water
- Josh Neufeld, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge
- Lola Vollen and Chris Ying, eds., Voices from the Storm
- Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones
Films
For more information:
Previous Greenwich Reads Together Events
2011:
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak
mp4
mp3