Though I can’t be certain, I have probably read less than 20 comic books in my life, and 90% of those are James Bond. I have a friend in Denver who is an avid collector of graphic novels - which I have fun thumbing through when I’m at her house, but never thought I would be interested in really reading one, until I found Persepolis.

I read Persepolis during a return flight from from Spokane to Las Vegas in January, and so far is my most widely borrowed book. I can’t get my hands back on it - I believe it to be somewhere in Seattle right now. Satrapi’s book, a black and white 153 page comic book, has definitely found its place on my short list of good reads.

The story is based on the author’s personal childhood experiences of growing up in Iran while struggling to understand the cultural effects of the Islamic Revolution. After about 10 pages in, you begin to understand that this will be an extremely personal account of an intelligent girl’s growth from childhood into maturity. The granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperor’s, she describes her Marxist parents who are against the regime that help to foster her curiosities and awareness of the politics and life around her. She learns to question things like why the neighbors are not around anymore, why she can’t wear Nike shoes, and why the law requires her to wear her veil.

As a chile, Satrapi learns that in order to understand the things around her, she has to suffer. She gives the reader a pure understanding of Iran and Islam, something lacking in our western literature and news. She voices her opinions without taking sides - it’s not a book of blame. Nowhere does the story describe what group was right or wrong, rather Setrapi shows us the importance of understanding ourselves and what motivates change and rebellion. 

Since the entire novel is written from a child’s perspective, politics are kept to a minimum, replaced instead with what life was like for people living before and after an oppressive regime. The manner in which the novel is written, effectively burns the emotions and intimacy of the character’s lives deep within you. After reading, I felt like there could have been much more, that many more connections and clarifications could be made to complete some of the events. Although, that’s what makes the novel so interesting, the curiosities of the unknown. A must read for anyone interested in not just Islamic culture, but world culture in general.