After I found out that Zeitoun was imprisoned for domestic abuse and stalking of Kathy, it made me rethink Zeitoun the book. I also found out that it was not only after the book that the domestic abuse began, but there was a long history of Zeitoun abusing Kathy before Katrina hit. I am conflicted now on both Dave Eggers and the legitimacy of the book Zeitoun. Part of me wants to discredit the whole story. What else did Eggers leave out in telling this story? How could he leave out such a crucial aspect of that marriage? Why would he lead us to believe they had a happy and healthy relationship? As a reader, I feel deceived. We talked about how people leave out aspects of their life when they tell their story, but at what point does the story they tell  differ too far from the truth to be legitimate?

When I consider that it was not Zeitoun that wrote the story but that it was Dave Eggers, it further complicates things. I must force myself to consider why Eggers decided to write this story despite the ugliness that occurred and was untold. I believe that he thought that the Zeitoun family’s experience of Katrina was too important not to be told. Despite the abuse that occurred, Eggers could still capture imperative aspects of American life that he may have felt important to expose. It is true that the ugly hidden truths of American identity and government were vividly exposed to us as readers. We saw the islamaphobia, the backwardness and inefficiency of FEMA, the abuse of power in the justice system and law enforcement, the deprivation of civil liberties in the name of a disaster, and the detrimental effects Katrina had on the people of New Orleans. In these ways, Zeitoun is still incredibly important and meaningful. Do these things make it okay that Eggers published a book that idealized a man who abused both his wife and kids? I’m not sure that there is a clear answer to it, but it does make us rethink both the purpose and sacrifices made in telling a person’s story. Here is the link to the article on the Zeitoun family after Katrina: kathy_zeitoun_interview.html

Class discussion covered a broad range of societal issues that are brought to light in Black Boy. One of the overarching issues was Wright’s portrayal of the system of oppression created by southern whites toward the black community. Professor Rodrigues made a point that particularly caught my attention and that was the economic system of power that was in place. I think looking at the economic status of the black community that Richard is a part of at this time is particularly important in understanding this system of oppression.

In this society, black people are not allowed to rise up the economic ladder. One of the key beliefs in the “American Dream” is the idea that anyone can move up economically in life. We see that this is not true for blacks in the south in this era. They are held at low level jobs because whites know that elevated economic status leads to societal power. That’s why the two men run Richard out of the eye glass making shop. Black people in that community are forced to fight among themselves for low level jobs, barely making enough to get buy. This economic status is intentionally created by the white oppressors.