Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

Specifics
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi
Published by Pantheon, 2000

Target Audience
Lexile level GN380L
This book would be for slightly older students, because the content can be hard to read about.

Summary
This is the story of a girl growing up in the midst of the Islamic Revolution in the 80s. She strives to be her own person while not getting in trouble with the government. She hears her parents talking about things that she is too young to be hearing about. Her uncle gets arrested, and Marjane gets sent away to live with her aunt. She does things like talk to God and using her imagination for everything. This book is a great book to use for teaching about how other children live during wartime.

Evaluation
The character in this book seemed believable, especially since she gets into things like bands and music. The reader does feel like they are in that time and place with Marjane, especially because she does get interested in what is going on with the government and politics around her. The historical details are accurate, since these are things that actually happened to the author. The character in the story grew in that she no longer knows what to believe, but she still strove to be her own person despite the rules of the government.

Lesson
The lesson for this book will go along with a history unit about Iran and the history of their country. The illustrations will be looked at, and there will be a discussion about the differences between the panels that are mostly white and those that are mostly black. The fact that this novel is all black and white lends itself to the fact that a lot of the subjects addressed in this book are darker, and people don't all see in shades of gray. The author's use of allusion, foreshadowing, and metaphors can be discussed, especially the allusions to the new ruler and her political beliefs.