I’ve finished reading the 17th book of 2024!
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a re-read for me, but it’s been a while. I first read Satrapi’s graphic novel back in the fall of 2011. It was a quick read then and it was a quick read now. Graphic novels are always quick and interesting to analyze for me. The content though is heavy with Marjane’s retelling of her childhood story in war torn Iran during the 1970s and 1980s.
The reason for my re-read was a recent roundtable presentation I contributed to at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention in Boston. The roundtable was titled “Eight Great Memoirs that Capture the Resilience of the Human Spirit.” I had the opportunity to collaborate with two other teachers who have taught Persepolis. I created a Paired Text list / set for people to consider.
I have not selected this text to teach despite it being an option in our 10th grade curriculum, along with The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas or Dear Martin by Nic Stone. I currently teach The Hate U Give. When students read The Hate U Give, they analyze and discuss topics of identity, activism, and community. These three topics could also be looked at in Persepolis.
I’m still grappling with how and if I will teach this graphic novel. The questions that come to mind are:
- Will I have time this year?
- Should I swap out The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas for this next year?
- Should I start the year off with Persepolis and then teach Of Mice and Men next year?
Tons to think about as I plan for next year! In the meantime, I would highly encourage others to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. It is the first of two graphic novels and with the cliffhanger ending, I now want to read the second to see what happens.