Reading Response #3

Dear Marjane Satrapi

Your book was selected by our teacher as a topic center of our English57 class. It was the first time I came across with such nice and well-designed graphic novel. Your memoirs were very interesting especially the way you show to the reader your life in Iran. It was very pleasant to read. You bring up so many details about your personal experience that catch the interest and the attention of any person around the world whether young or adult.
I found interesting your strong desire of knowing about political issues, which it is mention in the first chapter. At 10 years old any other girl would be much more interested in playing with dolls rather than reading about Communism. Do you think that your childhood was stolen? I felt identified about what you wrote in the chapter "The Jewels", when the two ladies fight over who got the product first. Similar situations I witnessed during the 90's in my country. Peru suffered an extremely hard economic depression plus hyperinflation due to the bad political managements. Everybody struggled to make ends meet, empty supermarkets, lack of work, and many people had to leave the country. Now, even though we still have problems, we are in better conditions. In the chapter "Kim Wilde" your parents were vey courageous, but at the same time reckless. Were you aware of the dangerous situation your parents would face in the airport on their way back from Istanbul? Or it was more important your desire to get fashion items.
Your life is full of personal experiences and anecdotes. Many of them are sad events caused by the tough laws imposed by the government. All this has enriched your life,and at some moment you had the need to express it. Writing down your life story is an example to many people that everybody is equal, whether men or women, and deserved to be treated as human beings with respect and dignity. Did you write your novel thinking about Feminism and how women struggle for equality in Iran? Now after all what you have lived and experienced. What do you think about Communism?

It was a pleasure to have read your book.

My Best Regards
Ivan.