January 2026 - PERSEPOLIS The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi

Post composed by Ralph Edwards

Growing up before television, our family played games, talked, listened to the radio, read books, especially comic books.  This included Mickey Mouse and Superman as well as Prince Valiant and other literature classics. Today’s grown-up version is the graphic novel which tells its story with drawings and text.  This visual/reading combination provides the mood, environment, setting, etc. to the Reader differently from a solitary text.  It also limits the imagination that the Reader needs to bring for their interpretation of the story.  The graphic novel does enable faster consumption of the story.

PERSEPLOIS is a black and white “coming of age story” of an upper-class girl in Iran coming to terms with her personhood and the growing societal repression of women.  Due to her status (and good luck) she was able to get away with activities that other girls are beaten or jailed, such as, makeup, wearing jeans, displaying her hair, etc.  Conversely, that status confers increased surveillance by authorities making leaving the country more difficult as the political situation deteriorates.

The story provides a glimpse of life in the Islamic Republic and the tools and techniques it applies to oppress the population. There is civic and religious law enforcement, sanctioned brutality used by both, and other tactics to generate fear and adherence. 

Interestingly, her autobiographical graphic novel written decades ago accurately describes the civil unrest in Iran today.