Based on the true events of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Dave Eggers has written a book so compelling that I nearly read it in one sitting. I hesitate to write too much in this review for fear of spoiling key plot points that really kept me turning the pages.

This story will make you angry. However, I found it difficult to focus the anger. The book highlights so many areas that completely fell apart with Katrina and so much chaos, that it's difficult to place the blame on one area. It's scary to think that a similar situation could occur again with a different disaster or perhaps a terrorist attack. This story made me anxious, sad and upset, but nonetheless, it is an important read. Eggers does a great job at telling the Zeitoun family story with care, but also maintaining a distance to give a fair journalistic style account.

The book also makes you feel that even during terrible tragedies, there are still good people in the world. The story has many examples of people that are just doing their best to help out strangers without expectation.