Persepolis

Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon.

Set in Iran during the 70's and 80's during political turmoil and revolution, Marjane tells the memoir of her country, people, and family through black and white comics.  She is a girl that grew-up with open-minded, modern parents that believed in educating their daughter.  Marjane grew-up learning about the history of her country and family.  She is surrounded by riots, demonstrations, and massacres.  Marjane's school changes from a French non-religious school to having to wear a veil and being separated from boys.  She has to follow the Islamic religious culture in school and out in public.  But at home, her modern parents allow freedom of thought and oppose the Islamic Revolution.  As Marjane grows older, she rebels like all teenagers, and wants to attend parties, hang out with friends, and wear the latest fashions from the US.  Marjane is independent and opinionated and punches the principal one day, which gets her expelled.  Her parents find her a new school, but she continues to be opinionated and speaks against the Islamic regime to her religion teacher.  Along with this, a bombing happens in her neighborhood. Her parents decide the best thing is to send her to Europe, where she has a future.  At the end, she is sent to Vienna, where she will go to a French school by herself.  Her parents say they will meet her there later, but in her heart, she knows that it is not true.

Marjane realizes that an out-spoken, rebellious girl has true dangers in the new Islamic country, where rebels are executed for speaking their minds.  She realizes that freedom and freedom of speech has a price.

This book has several teaching opportunities.  First, it could be used in an advanced social studies class on how religion has impacted Middle Eastern countries throughout the ages and it's history.  It could be used to teach the treatment of women in the Islamic religion.  It can also teach how government's suppress their citizens compared to the United States.  It can also be used to teach memoirs and voice in language arts.  Marjane Satrapi has written a sequel to the book called Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. 

Connections for young adults:  The protagonist encounters political turmoil, growing up in times of war, and having to leave her parents in order to be physically safe.