Reading Challenge #15 – Persepolis

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Here we are again talking about books. This post will be about my Reading Challenge for last month, which was asking me to read a Graphic Novel. I have to say I never read one before – although when I was younger I used to read loads of comics and manga – and I was a bit unsure from where to start. One of my best friend suggested me Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and I will never thank her enough for her tip, cause I absolutely loved it.

So as it is a Graphic Novel we are talking about, obviously the story is set a bit as a comic book, with comic strips and balloons. The main character is Marjane herself, who decided to publish this book to tell her version of how a kid grew up in Iran during the revolution. We follow her from her youngest years to her early adolescence.

The book itself is fabulous. Wit and humoristic, filled with moments of fun but also some of grief, with this story Marjane Satrapi tells us how a kid was forced to grow up in a world where the surrounding social, cultural and religious situation is pretty complicated.

As a kid, Marjane doesn't understand why the Saha has been overthrown; she doesn't understand why the schools now are single-gender, why she can't be in the same class with her old friends, why she has to wear a veil. Everybody around her is enthusiastic at the idea that a new regime is been established, but very soon they find out the new one is not that much better than the old one.

All the people who supported the revolution suddenly become government enemy. People get killed, imprisoned. Borders are closed. And then the war starts.

The style that Marjane Satrapi has adopted to tell her story is very simple; sometimes it might reassemble to a kids story. That is a choice the author made to reflect little Marjane innocence in a world which is pretty horrifying. Despite the simple drawings and simple language, the books deals with very serious themes, and I would recommend it to everybody. It is touching and deep, and will probably steal you one or two tears as you are reading. Don't be ashamed, it had the same effect on me.