Best Graphic Novel You Will Read: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

When I was a kid, there was a girl next door who was a year older than me. She was the maid and kind of like a companion for an elderly lady and at times a baby sitter for the lady’s grandchildren. I didn’t have any friends in the society at the time. So, we became friends pretty quickly. We used to play Badminton together. We used to go for morning walks in the nearby garden.

Once, I had to visit by uncle who lived 5 minutes from my place to give him a food package. She tagged along. When I was at my uncle’s place, he asked her what standard she was at in school. And, I was embarrassed because she did not go to school. She was not educated. That was the first time the obscureness of social class became so real in my life. After this incident, I was awkward, standoffish & not my earlier self with her. Slowly the friendship fizzled out.

Now that I think back, I actually feel embarrassed about my decision of allowing myself to lose a friend because of societal norms of what is acceptable. Reading Persepolis brought back this incident and really made me think.

~~THOUGHTS~~

Persepolis was the first graphic novel I read and I was immensely immersed in it. It was educational, it was emotional, it was enraging, it was brilliant. We understand first hand the life of people during war in Tehran. It is written & drawn in such a manner that is sure to leave you in a state of shock. It also has some humour from time to time to balance the serious tone throughout.

We see the dilemma of patriotism versus survival, that is, of staying in your homeland ridden with war or leaving your homeland for your safety & survival. We see a lot of prejudice in respect of social class. We see how people who leave the country suffer from loneliness. They are not in a war-ridden country, but that did not mean that war did not impact their lives. We also see people who stayed in the country aging faster.

We see what some countries term as moral and immoral. Repressed citizens, especially women, are supposed to wear a veil so that their hair is not visible which apparently entices men. They are not allowed to wear fashionable western clothes, not allowed to wear makeup, not allowed to hang out with men. They are considered as prostitutes if they engage in sexual relations with men before marriage. We see how women’s bodies are controlled by policies set up by men. All of this is so infuriating to read, and yet essential to read.

If you haven’t read Persepolis, I implore you to read it. Persepolis, originally written in French published by L’Association has 4 volumes. The translated version to English is published by Pantheon Books, which has 2 Volumes. Essentially the first volume is ‘The Story of a Childhood’ and the second one is ‘The Story of a Return’. I have rated both volumes at 5/5 stars!

Until next time,