A Syrian-American businessman, Zeitoun, rides out Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Eggers gives us a vivid view of the storm and its aftermath from inside the city, rather than the view most of us had from a TV helicopter. We also experience the repercussions for a Muslim who comes face to face with the overwhelming number of national security forces sent to recapture the city from bedlam. The best read of the year. I could not turn the pages quickly enough. November 2009.