Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Teen Graphic Novels- Main Level- P
Contrary to what I thought when I started the book, Persepolis is not the name of the main character. The main character’s name is Marjane; Persepolis is the Greek name for the capital of the former Persian Empire. Wait, you say. The main character has the same name as the author? Yes, friends, this is an autobiographical comic book.
Marjane, the great-great granddaughter of Nasser-al-Din Shah (the Shah of Persia for the second half of the 1800s) grew up in Iran with her Marxist parents. During her youth, the Shah was overthrown, the Islamic Revolution was accomplished, and Iran went to war with Iraq. Sadly, Satrapi cannot imagine her childhood without these events. She was obliged to wear a veil in public, propaganda was taught at school, and many loved ones were in danger of being arrested, tortured, killed, or bombed in the war. Somehow the simplicity of the comics lightens the tone of the story, while the emotion on the character’s faces had me (big cliché coming…) both laughing and crying. I sure hope the film adaptation makes its way to Michigan.