One of the books I've managed to get through so far this summer is Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, a graphic memoir that tells of the author's coming-of-age in Iran after the 1979 revolution. The book had been on my radar for sometime, but I finally made myself get around to reading it because it is the Common Reading selection at Shepherd this fall and I am including it in my English 102 class.
Persepolis is a great choice for students--it's interesting, informative, and different (because of its setting, its genre, and even its point-of-view). It also helps that there's a recent movie adaptation that received good reviews.
As an English teacher, I love the idea of teaching a "comic book"*, especially in a general eduaction literature class. For me, one of the central goals in these courses is to simply get the students reading and get them excited about doing so. Another goal is to get them to see that they are surrounded by all different kinds of texts and that developing good reading skills will translate across genres, across disciplines, and ultimately, across career choices. Thus a book like Persepolis, which invites students to read images as well as words, helps them on so many levels.
Beyond all of that, though, it's just a great read. I can't quote from it so much, like I usually do in these kinds of entries, because the words alone don't convey the full power of the pages. Take a look at these images from the publisher's site, though, if you are interested. One scene that stands out in my mind is of a young Marji in her room, singing Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" at the top of her lungs after being accosted and threatened by fundamentalists on the street. Marji's parents--once so hopeful about the revolution--are also fascinating characters. The final chapter is heart-breaking, especially the very last frame.
*Seems like too dismissive a label for the book, but "graphic novel" doesn't work either since it's not a novel...even "graphic memoir," the term I used in the first paragraph seems strange.
2 comments:
I read Persepolis a couple months ago, and I agree that it's a wonderful memoir! I never thought I'd enjoy a graphic novel (or graphic whatever-it-is), but I really did enjoy reading this. It felt very genuine, and it captured me in a way that I didn't expect; I really empathized with Marji. I'm going to find & read the sequel sometime soon.
I haven't read the sequel yet, either, but it's on my list!
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