Aspersian: Autobiographical Graphic Novel, A Journey in Embracing Oddity

by Kaveh N. Adel

As a child I always felt that our contact with our surroundings whether it involves our family, friends, strangers, nature, even inanimate objects and just plain circumstances were all experiences to be nurtured.As an adult and a parent of two I can attest to that even more. In fact, the birth of my oldest son sparked the need to tell my story. to him and his now younger brother.Every experience becomes a memory that is etched in the mind where all the emotions are attached to them– the good, the bad, the odd and the extraordinary. Yet one thing remains. Without these experiences the child’s imagination starves and more often than not it stagnates. I know the children are capable of much more. they are not just sponges. They are, each and everyone of them, geniuses in their own way awaiting to unlock their imagination embracing their oddities, to fly and when needed to return to reality, an enriched vase, filled. Seeing these the world from a different point of view is infinitely more fun and certainly more fulfilling.It became clear to me that my sons needed a manual to understand their father. In October of 2009 the first drawing for this book was completed and the long process of self-discovery began.Aspersian is the story of my journey triggered by historic events in Iran and my challenge as an adult on the spectrum where I retrace and explain my origins while embracing and celebrating being odd to my sons.Along the way I weave history, mythology, philosophy, politics, personal experiences during a revolution (1979 Iranian Revolution), a war (Iran-Iraq war 1980-1988), youthful self discoveries, family struggles (living under sanctions), being a child of divorce and immigration.My sincere wish is the readers would identify with Aspersian and use it as a roadmap and empowering them to rediscover their own past, embrace their present, and fuel the future with insight and empathy while developing awareness and understanding for the struggles of individuals with all types of challenges.

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published August 31, 2019

Reviews

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminds me a great deal of Persepolis...another autobiographical graphic novel of growing up in Iran. But this time from the perspective of someone with Aspergers, who thinks and sees things differently than those around him.