I had hardly seen my husband all week and we were eager to talk. Unfortunately, so was the waiter. While he took our orders, he told us that his girlfriend took off with his best guy friend and now he can't afford the rent on his own. When he brought out dinner, he stayed to tell us about his mother's relationship with his stepfather and about Salt being the coolest movie ever because he wants to meet a woman who looks like Angelina Jolie.
After we left, my husband said, "I'm beginning to think the greatest invention was the dumb waiter."
David Eggers nonfiction account of a family dealing with Hurricane Katrina is a great American tragedy. Zeitoun is the surname of the father of the family, a Syrian who owns a thriving construction company and a sizeable amount of real estate. His wife, Kathy, born Christian, had converted to Islam before she met her husband because she was impressed with the transformation of her childhood friend, Yuko, and disenchanted with her Evangelical church. Reading this book is not only an opportunity to learn about what happened during Katrina in a way that no one else could tell it, but also a look into what we can learn from the Koran. Long after I finish the book, this quote from the Koran will remain with me. I'll try not to use it on my daughter. "Heaven lies at the feet of the mother." 
