Banned Books Week - Persepolis

I don't think I had heard of Persepolis until a couple of years ago. Braden owns a copy of the book and the movie, so last year he finally convinced me to read it.

And it was fantastic.

Persepolis is a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi, who tells her story of growing up in Iran in the 80's, which is a very difficult time to be anything in Iran, especially a spunky young girl with an ear for American punk rock. 

The artwork in the book is so great. You feel as though you are part of Marji's world. Some of my favorite parts of the book are when she has her private conversations with God. 

Persepolis has been banned across the country (most notably in Chicago, where school officials ordered a "book recall" when a school official was sent copies of 2 pages of the book.) According to the ALA, it has been banned for gambling, offensive language, and political viewpoint. 

I don't really remember the gambling in the book... I'm sure if I reread it I would be like, "Oh yeah, gambling!" But all I can remember right now is that toward the beginning of the book they play a game of Monopoly. So there you go. 

There is some offensive language in the book, but much of it is used to show the mistreatment of women during the Revolution. Satrapi uses shocking language to help the reader understand how dangerous it was for Marji and her mom in Tehran during that time. I'm not condoning the use of foul language, but... it's reality. I would rather read some swears than read a watered-down version of history. 

And as far as political viewpoints go, I'm a firm believer in live and let live. Marji gets some pretty radical ideas in her late teenage and early twenties, but then she turns her life around, becomes an aerobics instructor, and gets married to a nice guy (sorry, spoilers!) Some radical political viewpoints are represented, but again... it's a memoir! You really can't write a memoir about living in Iran in the 80's and 90's without mentioning some radical political views. 

I really didn't know anything about the Iranian Revolution until I read this book. I still don't know much. However, I think it's important for people to get a unique perspective like this on a major world event. It's a funny, poignant memoir. You should read it! (Or at least watch the movie, which is pretty great as well.)