Matt Merrill Merrill itibaren Hernádkércs, Hongaria itibaren Hernádkércs, Hongaria

*For Foucaultians, I use 'Satrapi' to reference the author, and 'Marjane' to reference the character in the book. We tried having the freshmen at our school read this book over the summer, thinking that they might have less resistance to a graphic novel than an onslaught of straight text. We forgot, of course, that they are freshmen and will resist all attempts to read/learn over the summer regardless. However, loving graphic novels, I checked it out myself and loved what I found. First of all, Satrapi's simple style of illustration was perfect for setting the tone of this coming-of-age story. Subtle variations in the appearance of the characters reveals more than the story on the page. The backdrop, largely set against the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, comes to life through the experiences of these people, not just a historical run down. Major coming-of-age themes are present; rebellion, alienation, identity, isolation, and disillusionment all factor heavily in Satrapi's story. What is particularly well-served by the graphic novel format is Marjane's struggle between the external forces dictating her situations and the internal convictions she relies on to respond to them. Satrapi's story is more exciting and tumultuous than many people's experience growing up (certainly mine), but she doesn't stress these external events. It would have been easy for her to succumb to the tendency of memoirs to force oneself onto the historical timeline of one's time; yet for all that is going on around her, that doesn't represent Marjane's conflict. The heart of the graphic novel is about that confusing experience of self-identification, stretching across countries, cultures, and all of history.