Persepolis: The story of a childhood – Marjane Satrapi
Published in 2000
pages 156
Rating: 5 out of 5
I read Persepolis: The story of a childhood for the Graphic Novel Challenge. Persepolis is Satrapi’s memoir on growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The book is engaging, entertaining, and funny. Satrapi teachs the reader the history of Iran while showing her childhood. You learn of Satrapi’s childhood relationship with God, how the father of the Shah came onto the throne, her beloved uncle Anoosh, and the many Iranian causalities of the Islamic Revoltion.
Personally I know almost nothing about Iran. A couple of years ago I learned that Iran was more than fundamentalists and black veils. The 2003 Nobel Laureate was Shirin Ebadi, who was featured in O magazine and showed many Americans a face and a voice for Iranian women. After reading the article about Ebadi, I didn’t really give Iran and its women another serious thought. But thanks to Satrapi’s memoir, that has changed. I think this is a book that people should really read. I’m not someone who reads graphic novels, but this book is so much more than that. I think anyone will enjoy it.
Vasilly – having ‘spoken’ to you about this book I had one of those coincidence moments. I was at my Mum’s care home and met Marjane, one of the carers. She is from Iran, has a degree in Maths form Iran, a Masters degree from an English University and teaches at university one day a week. She spoke of how education is mostlky in the hands of men in Iran – that it is cultural, not religious. Her father was a Royal Air Force RAF pilot here in UK but returned to Iran for the Iran/Iraq war. She works in the care home to earn a living while she continues to teach Mathematics and follow her own studies – incredible. When I aske dher how she spent her free time she told me how she prepares and studies. So very hard working. She is real credit to herself and her family who now live in Teheran.
Sorry rather a long post but of interest I hope!
Julie