I first came across Persepolis in a friend's apartment. It was a tiny place and one wall had a huge poster with a scene on it that looked to me like it was right out of a graphic novel. When I asked my friend what the poster was from, she said it was her roomie's and she thought it had something to do with a movie.
I later read Nylon Road (loved it) when I was getting into graphics, which was just after I first started university (I don't know why I wasn't into them earlier...just never knew anyone who read them, I guess. I went out and just bought Sin City after I saw the movie because I loved it, and I've been hooked ever since). The author of Nylon Road mentioned being inspired by Persepolis (which rang a bell because of that poster), and I made a mental note to read it somewhere down the line.
Well, whatever, years passed....then I'm working at a bookstore and come September 20 parents a day are coming in looking for Persepolis because it's on some of the grade nine reading lists. It's hard for the customers to find because a. most parents shopping at the Yorkdale mall would have no clue where to find the Graphic Novels section even if they thought to read the signs and b. Persepolis is a memoir so it's shelved under Biography anyway.
I had a few interesting conversations with parents about the book. Many were dubious about the idea of a 'comic book' being part of their kids' curriculum. I tried to tell them that a graphic novel is just a different way of telling a story. Like a movie, it captures aspects of a story that words alone cannot. It forces the writer to use every once of skill in order to get the point across in fewer words, with fewer scenes. It is a tale condensed, distilled. At the same time an excellent graphic novel never feels like there is something missing. I love that they are becoming part of our kids' curriculum: what a great way to appeal to different kinds of learners, and to teach that there are many outlets for the human voice.
I finally ended up reading the books after seeing them (both) in Starlight books not long ago and just buying them on the hunch they'd be worth the space on my bookshelf. My bookshelf that is still non-existent. But that's a whole other issue. I know that Persepolis comes in a mass-market type paperback that combines the two volumes, but I saw these at the used bookstore - cheap, beautiful, great condition and thought who cares.
Graphic novels are great because they're so quick to read. I read this whole story in one afternoon and felt a little lost after because I got so into her (the author/illustrator's) life. She describes her girlhood growing up in Iran on the eve of revolution, being sent to France by her parents for her safety, returning to Iran a lost and confused young woman.....Her story is unique because of her experiences in such a country and the people who surrounded her who allowed her own uniqueness to thrive. These books never would have happened without her parents being who they were. What remains is an often chilling, sometimes hilarious account of one woman's life (so far). I love when I read things like this and find it so utterly relateable. It seems no matter where, or when you are growing up or what happens to you there are just some things we can all understand.
The only downside was the ending. I wanted to know more about her adult life, how she ended up being a writer, an artist, how she came to write her own story. As this was a few months ago now that I read these, I've since discovered Goodreads, the best website ever. I found out that Ms Satrapi has published another book titled Embroideries that I plan on reading at some point as well.
(I can't get the photo to rotate, driving me nuts)
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