Persopolis

I read everything first and foremost as a writer...its what I do, it is who I am. With each one of the texts we have used in class I look at these and ask--would this have been better served in print only and why. From there I have worked out what I would use for the various assignments. With this book, I think that Satrapi did a terrible disservice to the message she wanted to convey. Most of you, my classmates, are at an age where you were too young to even remember what Iran was and I seriously doubt if it was taught in schools, so here is a whole generation that could have benefited from this story-from the story of her life and the story to be taken away...and instead she hid behind a glorified comic book...yes that is just my opinion but it's my blog so...
The whole 'oh I was a victim' line, I feel, was just a crutch for how she handled her choices in her life. We are all small children with big dreams, and as we age, they usually change, sometimes it is directly linked to actions we take as we grow and mature. The trick is being able to salvage some sense of us and who we are, learn from the "oh crap" moments, and not repeat them.
For me, she was an Iranian version of a spoiled brat-plain and simple. She wouldn't have been happy if her entire family had gone to Vienna( been there, its beautiful,and there is always something to see,do,experience,learn..) she needed something to blame for the choices she made during that time and being in exile from Iran was her excuse.
The back story on Iran and Iraq is where she could have made a difference in the telling, through her words a whole new audience could have seen her homeland through a different perspective. The story of just how the U.S. and England really screwed this one up (which aided in the current mess) is well known there-here in the states its been buried under a zillion tabloid stories of starlets without underwear,who's cheating with who, and who needs a reality show to make a new friend. In the middle east (and many other cultures,)there is a strong oral story telling tradition that we have lost- that is what keeps this tale alive and current for them. It had the potential to be so much more- so for me, it was a giant sized cop out.