I am going to be honest with all of you: I sometimes read graphic novels. And I am not ashamed of it (go ahead, try and stuff me in my locker, I’m not going to fit).
So naturally, I was intrigued when I learned that summer reading for next year is a graphic novel. Especially since I had heard of “Persepolis” before, but only in terms of its entertainment value. Honestly the art isn’t amazing (it’s cartoony and juvenile; think a fourth grade Gabriel Ba), but that’s beside the point.
Or rather, it is the point.
“Persepolis” is a memoir from a little girl’s perspective about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, when harsher laws were instituted to conservatively reassert Islamic doctrine, after the dictatorial regime of the Shah (think King Henry VIII incarnate) ended. For females like the main character Marjane, this meant they had to don the hijab, the traditional Islamic dress and veil, to hide their sexuality from male citizens.
You read correctly, feel free to cheer: this book has no relation to teaching typical morals. “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi is simply the story of her Iranian childhood before being sent away by her parents to live in Austria for her safety. The purpose of “Persepolis” is not to teach ethics; rather, it teaches perspective.
Now, let me clarify something before I continue. In case you didn’t know, I am a graduating senior. This means that I in no way was required to read this. I just wanted to. Have any of you ever just wanted to read any of the summer reading books before. No? Not at first? Thought so.
That’s what makes “Persepolis” special (in addition to the occasional swear words and inappropriateness). As far as the book’s actual message goes, though, this article is about to get a whole lot less shallow. The situation in the Middle East is tense. When it comes to relations with Iran, many Americans would probably share the sentiment of the popular spoof song “Bomb Iran.” For the tune, think “Barbara Ann.”
I find that ridiculous when this comes from individuals who lump them in with “Arabs,” since Iranians are actually descendants of the ancient Persians and share an Aryan heritage with Europeans. As a matter of interest, Islam is not even the native religion of the Iranians.
Satrapi really pushes to accomplish something by pointing these facts out in an opening essay before the actual content. There is that little bit of straight reading, but I think you can manage a page and a half. You may even learn something. Like that the USA experiences a level of peace unknown in Iranian society, where they always have had negative forces working on the inside.
In the case of “Persepolis,” it is fundamentalists. But you won’t understand why unless you read. So honestly, this summer, take the at most two hours to read “Persepolis,” even if you are a senior like me. You can always pretend afterward that you’re still too cool to care.