I finally finished this graphic novel. I’d had to stop reading with less than 50 pages until the end and finally got the chance to sit down and finish it. This is the second graphic novel memoir that I’ve read. The other was George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy.
Some thoughts about Persepolis
• A story of something in the historically recent past that I knew very little about
• Told from a unique perspective
• The graphic novel format is interesting and tells the story at a fast pace
• A sad, difficult story with violence discussed
• A cautionary tale about fundamentalism
• Builds empathy for the people inside countries with oppressive governments who are engaged in war
I started reading Persepolis when there was a discussion about it among our district’s school board. The book had been approved by our literature review committee and gone to a test class. The last step was for the board to give final approval, but some school board members expressed concern about derogatory language toward women. The derogatory language? This happened maybe three times and always from the “bad guys”.
In the end, they approved the book. I’m glad that this book will be part of core curriculum for 11th grade students.