Persepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel from the perspective of ten year old Marjane, the great granddaughter of the last emperor of Iran and the only child of well to do and modern Iranian parents. Marjane narrates the tragedy in Iran as she understood it when she was ten, how she must now wear the horrid veil, how her friends leave or die and how her family, heart, government and teachers are all telling her different “truths.” Marjane illustrates the extraordinary in the life of a ten year old, the ordinary extraordinary and the extraordinary extraordinary, with a simple beautiful hand.
Persepolis connects to the stereotype of middle eastern people being “terrorists” and breaks it. Marjane Satrapi teaches that every culture, country and religion has some bad people, but those bad shouldn’t speak for so many good or misunderstood people. In the introduction Satrapi says, “an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists. I also don't want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten.” If you enjoy non-fiction, history and funny ten year olds with peculiar perspectives you will love Persepolis. Readers who appreciate well done comics and love exciting stories will love Persepolis.
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