General Information
Title: Persepolis
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Pantheon
Date of Publication: 2003
Illustrator: Marjane Satrapi
Lexile Level & Target Audience
Lexile: GN380L
Age Range: 14-17 (or upper middle school, as appropriate)
Audience: girls, comic book lovers, Iranian ethnicity
Brief Summary
Persepolis is a graphic novel memoir of Marjane Satrapi who grows up (age 6-14) during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. We hear her child-eyed perspective on the overthrow of the Shah's regime and the heartbreaking effects of the violent war with Iraq. Marjane experiences great tragedy and loss, but we watch as she also begins to find her footing in a war-torn world, juggling the conflicts between home life, public life, and personal identity.
Evaluation: Pros & Cons
Pros:
1. Eye-opening and empathy building for an often obscure race. Marjane's outspoken (and often humor-filled) narrative is extremely eye-opening to the dynamics of the conflict in Iran and its effects on the Iranian people. Students will be shocked at the tragedy and struggle that Marjane endures, and will be given the opportunity to empathize with her, too.
2. Humorous and relatable. Marjane's life experiences are dramatically different from the present majority of students in American schools; however, her personal thoughts, fears, and emotions, are incredibly relatable. Students will find amusement in her honest writing and will quickly grow to identify with Marjane in her humanity.
Cons:
1. Religious undertones. Marjane is quite open about her views on God, Marx, and Islamic beliefs; this topic could prove potentially challenging or confusing for students who are still working out what it is that they believe. This topic should be approached with great care, and if I were to assign this book to students (which I'm still on the fence about), I would be sure to give them the opportunity to ask questions about these subjects as they arise.
2. Up-front depiction of war and violence. Although the images are in comic-strip style (cartoon/black and white), the depiction of violence is still quite intense––too intense for some readers. This book could potentially be a good choice read for students who show the ability to handle these more mature themes.
3. A subjective view. Although reading from Marjane's perspective is effective in opening our eyes to certain aspects of her people, students should be aware that what they are reading is not necessarily "absolute truth" about this time period; Marjane has certainly done her research, but students should follow up this read with factual research about this people, culture, and era.
Literary Elements
Setting: Marjane's illustrations (comic style) immerse us into the setting in a way that text never could; the images are revealing of place and emotion.
Tone: The book has a mixture of dark and humorous undertones; Marjane conveys the tragedy of her situation, but does so in a quick-witted, honest, and spunky manner.
Conflict: This book is full of tension and conflict; this feeling of tension is presented through Marjane's simple narration––she never says more than necessary. This expert handle of sentence structure, grammar, and connotation is part of what encourages the reader to continue.
Illustrations
As mentioned above, Marjane's illustrations are genius; the amount of meaning conveyed through the simplicity of her art is quite astounding. Readers will get lost in the intricate details of each page.
Mini-lesson Idea(s)
Marjane offers a lot of information even in small sections of the book; she does this through a mixture of narration and dialogue, pacing the text and images in such a way that keeps readers engaged. Students could practice this form of craft by creating their own stories with an intense focus on balancing narration and dialogue just right––i.e. just enough narration to offer adequate information and just enough dialogue to move the plot along and add dimension/personality to the piece.
Cheers!
- Aubrey
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