Am I the only one who didn’t love Persepolis? There were aspects of the book that I appreciate, but overall I give it a big, fat meh. I appreciated the portrayal of a girl living in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Revolution is a topic rarely discussed in Western literature. I also appreciated the accessibility of the graphic novel format. This book could easily fit into a high school World History course. I just didn’t love it, ya know?
I didn’t like the main character, Marji. Although she and her family had their fair share of struggles, their hardships seemed much less severe than the realities of their neighbors and friends. Their family is rather well-to-do and I would have appreciated a story of those who experienced the harsher realities of a revolution. Does that make me a bad person? I’ve never experienced the harsher realities of war or a revolution myself. Am I a hypocritical critic?
I know this is her memoir, and Marji lost her uncle and many people she loved which is insanely awful. To me, Marji just gave off that spoiled teen vibe– something I can’t stand and one of the reasons I did not become a YA librarian. (I suppose in some ways the spoiled teen vibe was rightful, she was a young teenager during the novel– I just hate it!)
I also wasn’t crazy about the graphics. The drawings were a little simplistic for my taste, but one could argue they represented the simplicity of childhood and all that jazz.
This book was often compared to Maus. Maus was better. I still might read the second book in the series, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. I wasn’t happy with the ending.
Did you read Persepolis? What did you think?
love,
melanie
Oh no! I was one of the people who loved it I’m afraid. I enjoyed how honest she was about being a spoilt teen. If she’d been a more likable character I think the horrors of the situation would have been rather overwhelming and abstract. As it was. though, she was just a normal kid wanting normal things, one whom I think most people can find something to identify with, thus making the events more immediate and terrifying.
I get that. I just wasn’t crazy about it. Can’t win ’em all, I suppose.
I read both books. I rather liked them. I’m glad both were graphic novels, because I think that made a bigger impact on me in regard to conveying the story than mere words would have done. Same goes for Maus.