Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon
Summary
Marjane Satrapi wrote Persepolis as a memoir of her life growing up in Iran through black and white comic strips. As an only child and the great- great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane is very outspoken and observant during a time of unrest in her country. Intertwined with the history of Iran, Persepolis gives unique perspective into the life of Marjane, dethroned emperors, and what it's like to be in a country in turmoil between the ages of 6 and 14.
A Teacher's Perspective
This book is important. I know all books are important, but when it comes to understanding WHY people do things for religious purposes, especially when it's a religion that doesn't exist within the Christian confines, this book is IMPORTANT. Marjane's life unfolds when Iran goes through an entire Revolution and religious confines are changed. This is especially important for American children to read when they truly do not understand the issues that arose in the past to create culture that is so extremely different than their own. I really liked researching things to teach with this book, and want to do so in the future. Below you will find a few links to interesting things to pair with this book.
Want to know more?
To purchase your own copy of Persepolis: Click here!
If you would like to show your students the evolution of "fashion" in Iran, here is a link for 100 years of Iranian history through hairstyles: Link
What's especially great is that this book can be found in movie/cartoon form on youtube:
Here is an entire lesson plan from Portland Public Schools that you can use in your classroom: Link
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