Persepolis

Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon. Persepolis is a biography of a girl growing up in Iran. The story is told through black and white comic book images. Marjane tells the story of life before the Islamic Revolution and after. We learn of her belief that she is the last prophet. We follow her life through pictures. The story follows the war in Iran and how Marjane becomes and rebel and is sent away because her family fears for her life. The demonstrations in Iran affect her family tremendously and we follow her journey of determining the truth from the fiction she is being told in school. The struggles were still very real for her. We not only read of her struggles against her country, but we see her personal relationships, her marriage, and ultimately her divorce. It was obvious from the beginning that Marjane was a strong girl and was going to eventually stand up against the injustices against her people. This biography is a great read for high school students. It has great historical elements that are important for our children to read. We read all about the negative in Iran/Iraq, but this story spotlights someone who fought against the injustices in her own country. It is a very inspiring read. This autobiography was about Marjane, but it was also about life in Iran. It had historical elements that drew us into her story. We could feel her frustration and her boldness in wanting to stand up against the oppressor.