Reading Response #3

ZhengZhong Zhu
English 57

Dear Marjane Satrapi

Hello, my name is Zheng. I was impressed by your novel “Persepolis”. I have no idea that a true story can be told like this. Anyway, you have written this fantastic graphic novel, and most people were fascinated by it. But personally, I really don’t like reading books or reading novels, but your unique graphic novels made it more interesting to tell. Therefore, when I finished reading your book, I realized that I really willed myself to finish reading a book once of my lifetime. As some saying that a picture worth a thousand words, there’s no doubt that your graphics in the novel were worth beyond words. Your novel intrigued people to ponder while reading your book and that make people to use their critical thinking skills. Moreover, since that your novel is a graphic novel, it always seems to be that a graphic novel or comics can be understood very easily, but your graphic novel was beyond the level of all graphic novel or comics book that I ever read. Most of the people would just read along with the explicit side of your story, but the implicit side of your story can never be as simple to understand, by figuring out the implicit side of your story, the answers that I figured always remained indefinite. Your graphic novel seems very simple but yet complicated in some certain way. Thus, I think that “Persepolis” is the most sophisticated book I ever read.

As a little girl growing in Tehran during the revolution time, it is very interesting to see how a little girl could interact within the society of the unkind times. First off, you explained about the veils, and it was enforced by the Islamic revolution. With that very moment of reading, I finally understand why all the women that in Iran has to wear the veils, even until this present day. Within your illustration in the book, I’ve comprehended your childhood was under the regime of shah, and then fundamentalism; also the war between revolution and Iraq. All these experience that you had in your childhood was very adventurous. For that, I consider myself to be very lucky to live in a peaceful nation under a peaceful time. Although we lived under a different period of time, but I think that we both have a thing in common. You liked Michael Jackson and so did I. Unfortunately, I’m sorry to tell you that he died of heart attack in the age of 50. In spite of that, I wanted to tell you were a brave and strong girl during the revolution and the war.

In addition, I want to ask you a few questions that stuck in my head. What would you do if your parents died from the missiles back in the chapter of “The Shabbat”? If that really happened, would you make yourself to become a soldier and pay your vengeance? If you had the options to die as a martyr or a hero, which one would you prefer? There are so much more questions that I want to ask you, but I couldn’t just list it all out. However, my last question would be would you stay with your parents in Tehran despite of all cost? You have illustrated so much of your childhood in the novel, and most important of all, you’ve shown me the aspect of humanity. Therefore, I really appreciate your work. Thank you.

Sincerely yours
Zheng