Sunday, July 27, 2008

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Bibliography: Satrapi, Marjane. (2003). Persepolis: The story of a childhood. New York: Pantheon. 153 pps.

Genre: Graphic novel, memoir, biography, autobiography

Awards:

ALA Alex Award
Best Books for Young Adults
Editor's Choice for Young Adults
York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Library Journal Adult Books for Young Adults

Synopsis:Persepolis is a graphic novel that shares the story of Marjane Satrapi's life during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The novel spans her life from age 6 to 14. During this time fundamentalist rebels oust the Shah and issue in a new totalitarian regime. In 1979, when the Shah is overrun, the community and Marjane's parents are thrilled. They all hope for a new, diplomatic government. Satrapi's illustrations depict new sentiment in the community just a year later, however, when the schools have been segregated by sex, all bilingual schools and classes have been disassembled, and the veil has become obligatory in school.

While the grip seems to tighten on some of the freedoms of the people, many of the political prisoners of the revolution are released. Marjane descends from the last Emperor of Iran, and she has a great sense of pride in her family and herself, and she is overjoyed when she finally meets her uncle Anoosh who was imprisoned and tortured during the revolution. He tells her stories of his life, and she is captivated by the life he has led and the exciting adventures he has been on. Uncle Anoosh's stories and the independent culture Marjane's parents provide at home, cultivate Marjane's own independence. There are numerous run-ins with teachers, foils with the veil, purchases of Iron Maiden tapes, and even thoughts of torturing neighborhood friends. Throughout all of these trials, the Satrapi family does its best to keep a “normal” home full of education and culture. When Marjane reaches age 14, and the country has slid farther into dispute with Iraq, her parents decide it is not a safe or edifying place for Marjane to live. The novel ends with Marjane boarding an airplane for Austria, where she will finish out her schooling. While her parents say they will come to visit her in six months, we are left to believe that it may be much longer until they see each other again.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is the first volume of a two volume set. Persepolis: The
Story of a Childhood,
and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return can be found bound together under the title, The Complete Persepolis: Now a Major Motion Picture. As that title indicates, the two volumes have been made into a movie. It has won several awards.

Review:
Persepolis
discusses the realities of war, injustice, and oppression. Satrapi reveals this story in a clever way through the eyes of a young child and through the medium of the graphic novel. By sharing her story in this manner, Satrapi helps many of us grasp some of these realities with which we have no experience.
This is the first graphic novel I have read, and I have become a quick fan. The graphic novel medium is one that allows the reader/viewer to not only "listen" to an author describe what they see and feel, but also see the ideas, thoughts, and in this case memories of the author.
I think the graphic novel is a great way to bridge readers into other-culture literature, especially new languages. I can see how the graphic novel can easily be used in ELL settings where a student may not quite understand all of the words, but can grasp the concepts from the illustrations.
Additionally, the graphic novel could be a great way to get leery readers more involved and engaged. While this genre produces lengthy pieces, they take less time to finish than more traditional genres of the same length.
I recommend Persepolis for 10th grade and up. The theme and some of the content could initiate some great discussion in the higher grades. Of course, this book will not cut it as a read-aloud. You have to see the pages. With that said, use this as a whole class, small group, or individual reading.

1 comment:

john oberski said...

Julia-
I am really pleased to see a review of this G. Novel. I considered checking it out earlier, but it wasn't in at the library so I chose Foreign Exchange instead. (In answer to your question about F. E.'s accessibility-1.the Library has a copy 2. the text and pictures are kinda small compared to some G.Novels, so this could extend the challenge of access to ELL learners, but I would still recommend it highly. Also, the pace is rather slow for about 50 pages, then accelerates wildly into conclusion) I talked to a woman from Jordan about Persepolis to see if she thought it was well written and whether the movie would be okay for adventurous kids (8 and 5). She thought that both book and film were accurate and artful, and not too intense, but perhaps a bit hard for young'ns to follow. I started to watch the film, but fell asleep (no judgement of its merits- given my recent M.A.T. induced deprivation). I intend to try again soon. I am also very excited about using G.Novels in the classroom with visually inclined youths (most everyone should respond to one form or another). I really liked the art in "Houdini: King of Handcuffs" (curse the APA, I Will Capitalize!) and in Richard Geary's "The Beast of Chicago" and "The Mystery of Mary Rogers" this last title may be a bit off, but you can find 'em in the library. These last two are historic crime stories and a bit disturbing, but the artwork is excellent. And yes, the talking dog must have broken free from my Foreign Exchange subconscious. If it was a dog it could've bit me. Your review was well composed: artful.