Book Review: Persepolis

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So my husband put a wonderful word out there when I asked him how he felt about this book: important.

I didn't necessarily like the way it was written... I didn't like the lack of detail and emotional connection, but it is important.

Here's why I consider it important: It is a perspective about people who, due to tragic and horrific events, a lot of people might tend to judge immediately and be scared of. A perspective that shows that no matter who is in charge and the heinous acts they commit -- there are day-to-day victims who may be from the same country.
I think of this often when I hear about people who have traveled to Hawai'i and have watched a film at the Pearl Harbor memorial. I have heard multiple people exclaim how angry they are at the Japanese... how horrible the Japanese are. I always cringe. It breaks my heart. Just because a few extremists got into power -- and even if they convinced a lot of people to follow them (usually it seems the followers were bullied) -- there are still plenty of innocent victims who do not feel the same.
THAT is why I feel this book is important -- it reminds us that there are plenty of people in the Middle East who are victims of an oppressive government, who are just regular people with regular problems. We are reminded through this book that even if we have different political ideologies we don't have to wish anyone harm.

A simplified way to find out how a regular girl might feel while living in the Middle East.

Books with the same message:

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

This is a book rather than a graphic novel. It is much more in depth and better written while accomplishing the same perspective. The people are easier to empathize with, as well.



Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford







This book is about the American-Japanese and the oppression and scorn they experienced because of a war they had no part in. Being evacuated into internment camps because of the blood they share with their ancestors rather than ideals they {didn't} share with their ancestors' countrymen.