I don’t have a lot of well-formed thoughts about Persepolis. I understand, every bit, why it’s a valuable (graphic) novel, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it as part of the standard reading curriculum for American teens, who can use all the diverse perspectives they can get. In fact, I think the classroom — under the tutelage of a sympathetic instructor — could be the ideal place for a book like this, because it allows for the integration of historical background in which independent readers […]
“One can forgive but one should never forget.”
Aside from the five stars, I also gave it four Tracey Jordans on the Hard to Watch/Read scale. Don’t get my wrong, it’s an absolutely beautiful book, but it’s also moving and powerful. Lots of emotions in this one. Satrapi chronicles her life as a teen in Iran during the unrest in the 1980’s. The cutesy, childlike drawings are juxtaposed against the atrocities they depict. For example, one panel is a short bio of one of her parents’ friends, newly released from jail for being […]
A remarkable story of childhood and adolescence
Three summers ago, I devoured Persepolis, an amazing graphic memoir about Marjane Satrapi’s education and coming-of-age during and after the Iranian Islamic Revolution. Satrapi’s candid recounting of events and biting humor made the book memorable, so I instantly thought of it when developing my sophomore-level survey for this fall. I haven’t read it since that summer, so it was a great joy to revisit and revel in all over again. Marjane Satrapi was an elementary-age schoolchild when the Iranian Revolution took place in 1979. She […]
“It’s fear that makes us lose our conscience. It’s also what transforms us into cowards.”
This year as I began making my epic list of things to read for Cannonball I asked some of my friends what they would suggest. While having these conversations my coworker mentioned that she hadn’t read Persepolis yet, but kept meaning to, and had I. I had not, so on the list it went, since she’s the mom of two small kiddoes, I could certainly do a little market research for her reading intake. Good news for her and you is that I *really* liked […]