Persepolis discussion

This weeks read was an eye opening one for sure. I read the graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by, Marjane Satrapi. Its the tale of an Iranian girl, little Marji (the author herself), and her childhood following the Islamic Revolution. It's humorous but also incredibly emotional. The format of the book makes its great read as well. The pages look like comic strips and the images, only black and white, are simple but really help tell the story. They are just as important as the words to getting message across.

In this book you see Marji grow up around the violence and protests that have been brought by the islamic revolution. She is forced into an all girls school and to wear a veil. Her struggle to comprehend what is going on is clearly evident throughout the entire novel, whether it by why her parents protest the Shah, or what the purpose of the veil is. Her faith is also a constant in the book, because she wants to be a prophet to bring good into the world. All of these factors leave Marji feeling overwhelmed and curious about all angels of this revolution.

I admire Marji and her innocence, even thought she lives in a violent world where no child should ever see and hear the things she does. I think that wee can all find way to connect to this aspect of Marji's character. We all go through terrible things but as children we remain innocent and try to see out the good. Her narration of this book is wonderful as well, its from a child's perspective which I believe makes it easier to read. Overall this was a very quick read, filled with emotionally attaching, clever, and humorous stories from Marji's life. I would rate it 8/10.