Persepolis

Remember the Islamic Revolution? Yes? No? Ummmmm....

Well, whether you know what happened or just nod your head in public, but cannot seem to recall when, where, why or how this happened (the Middle East, right?), Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi provides some background and first hand perspective on what went down.

Marjane writes/draws her memoir of what happened to her and her family during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s/early '80s. Her parents are revolutionaries, her father is a Marxist, and her mother demonstrates against the Shah, who is in power at the beginning of the novel. Marjane is a bright girl and she latches onto her parents beliefs, reading up on the movement, Marx, and all sorts of other social theory. The country goes from a somewhat publicly rigid place to a hugely rigid Islamic run country once the revolution is over. Suddenly, being a rebellious, free-thinking girl is dangerous. Head scarfs must be worn in public and women who wear modern-ish clothing are whores. Satrapi's parents must watch who they speak to and what they say about their beliefs because the wrong viewpoint can land them in jail as political prisoners or worse. At the end of this novel, Satrapi is fourteen and her parents decide it is best to get her out of the country, which is in turmoil, so they send her to school in Austria.

The novel is humorous, especially when Satrapi, as a young girl, claims to have unique perspective, but only repeats what she hears from her parents. This is a tactic used throughout the novel. Satrapi, as an adult author, is aware that she was heavily influenced by others, but so are all children when their young. Parents and family member's beliefs are iron clad to kids, and the reader is made aware of this fact in a clever way throughout the novel. At the same time this is a very serious graphic novel dealing with war, political beliefs, death, and imprisonment. Satrapi's voice rings clear through both the writing and the cartoons. The drawings are all in black and white, which you can interpret whichever way you please.

Although I usually see this book applied to the young adult audience, it is a perfect crossover book for adults as well. Graphic novels are a fantastic medium for some stories and this is a great example of that.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword

Graphic novels are the new hot thing. In the last five years I've heard more and more about these books and I must admit I'm a bit prejudice. How can a comic book be taken seriously? They're just about superheroes and misogynistic men. Well there's a reason graphic novels have had a comeback. Graphic novels capture stories that are deep, heavy, emotional, action-packed, etc. etc. This is the perfect medium for certain stories and kids and adults alike are jumping at the chance to read in this style. Graphic novels have been a heaven send for parents and teachers with reluctant readers.

In this young adult graphic novel, Hereville, the young Mirka wants to go on quests to kill dragons and other monsters. The only problem is she lives in an orthodox Jewish town. Mirka helps her little brother escape bullies, but must run from them herself. While fleeing, she stumbles across a strange house she's never seen and a witch. After stealing a grape from the garden, the witch's pig, who Mirka thinks is a monster because their village doesn't have pigs, terrorizes her until she saves it. The witch grants her a wish for saving the pig and decides Mirka needs to get a sword to fight dragons, but in order to get the sword, Mirka must defeat a troll. But Mirka is not just a troll fighting, dragon slayer, she's an Orthodox Jew. That means doing housework, going to school, and celebrating Shabbat.

This book took me about 30-45 minutes to read. I thought it was great! A perfect mix of fantasy, which draws many readers in, i.e. me, and fact. Mirka is a tom boy who doesn't want to learn how to knit or think about marriage. A lot of the novel deals with orthodox Jewish culture and happenings. Some of the vocabulary is in Yiddish, but on the bottom of the page there's always a translation. I learned a lot about the culture through this format and enjoyed the story.

Although Mirka's dreams may be childish, the story deals with some serious topics as well. Religion isn't exactly a topic that's paired with fantasy and as far as young adult fiction goes, it's typically not something touched on or the book is considered an 'inspirational' or 'religious' book, which often deters many from reading it. Here the Jewish community is important to the story and it's not just used as a setting, but it's an essential element that is talked about and explained. Mirka's mother has died and her family has been combined with her stepmother's. Bullies, popularity, obedience, and rebellion are all topics that are dealt with.

Thank you Mirka for reminding me that graphic novels are not flippant or a cheap form of literature. This was a fun, fascinating read.