"Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood" by Marjane Satrapi

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Bibliographic Citation

Title: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Author/Illustrator: Marjane Satrapi

Year of Publication: 2003

Publisher City: New York

Publisher: Pantheon

ISBN: 0375422307

Author/Illustrator Website: No Author/Illustrator Website

Media Used for Artwork: Ink

2009 Students’ List

Nonfiction Graphic Novel

My Top 10 Favorite Picturebooks for Older Readers

Awards

·         Fernando Buesa Peace Prize, 2003

·         New York Times Notable Book

·         Time Magazine “Best Comic of the Year,” 2003

·         Young Adult Library Services Association’s Alex Award, 2004

Annotation

This graphic novel tells the story of Marjane Satrapi as she grew up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, a very turbulent time where her life was in constant change.

Personal Reaction

                What is happening in the Middle East is a huge concern for many people.  Yet in each country we are only given one side of the story.  The graphic novel autobiography from Marjane Satrapi provides another perspective that most American’s do not think about, someone from Iran.  Satrapi’s story attempts to show readers that not every person in Iran is an extremist, like the ones seen on the nightly news.  This is a good story to help keep people open-minded in a time when it is so easy to let biases and stereotypes dictate lives.

                The series of little vignettes is an interesting tool to deliver the story of the child’s life in the novel.  It works well because several different stories are told that interweave together, also it emulates a child’s mind that is always thinking of new things and topics.

                The illustrations are childlike as well, which also helps convey to readers that they are reading a story that is suppose to be from a child’s perspective.  Often times the figures and scenery are very simple, which puts emphasis on the words.  The use of black and white is very powerful, especially in moments where repetition of figures is used.  For example, in the section entitled “The Key,” the illustration of the girls beating their breasts is all the more powerful because it is in black and white.  There is no way to tell the girls apart, showing that they are all forced to deal with the circumstances of their lives.

Curriculum: Grade 10- According to California State Board of Education, students in 10^th grade history are to learn about “the challenges in the regions, including their geopolitical, cultural, military, and economic significance and the international relationships in which they are involved.”  The Middle East is one of these locations. 

This graphic novel would be a good addition to this part of the curriculum because it teaches about the history of a region from the perspective of someone who lived through it.  All material is biased to some degree, but by providing multiple perspectives students are able to form a better understanding of controversial topics.

Use of Allusion: When the family goes on a vacation the family is seen on a flying carpet, reminiscent of “Arabian Nights.”

Use of Simile: The children often use similes in an attempt to understand the choices made my the government and adults.
“The revolution is like a bicycle.  When the wheels don’t turn, it falls.”

Use of Sophisticated Language: The narrator uses a variety of words that can be difficult to understand.  Many are military or political terms.

“The truth is that 50 years ago the father of the Shah, who was a soldier, organized a putsch to overthrow the emperor and install a republic.”