Ah, Persepolis. That great, great book. Marjane Satrapi's epic two volumes about her life growing up in Iran is one of the most readable and relatable graphic memoirs ever. It shared so much about Iranian culture, and it continues to teach. And now that it's been selected for Philadelphia's One Book, One Philadelphia literacy program, it will reach even further. Good. This work is one of those pleasures to read and savor, and it's completely deserving of this attention, which it achieved by winning out over other book selections to be named the selection of the 2010 One Book, One Philadelphia. Satrapi herself will be in the city to launch the program on September 23 at the Central Library there. Better yet, 5,000 copies of the book are being shipped in to local schools and libraries, and the city will hold dozens of lectures, discussion groups, and workshops for the book.
Of course there will be the naysayers, the ones who don't want to read a comic book or who think it's beneath them to do so. Oh, well. They don't have to read it, nor do they have to appreciate the form and what it has to offer. I'm not sure it's worthwhile to try to convince those who simply refuse to entertain the notion that comics might be good or worthwhile. It seems so much more productive to concentrate on those who do get it, or at least those who have an open enough mind to give it a try (a side note: Some of my best friends don't read comics! Honest! I have zero problem with that, and in fact, I remain convinced that there are some people who simply don't enjoy the form, and there's nothing wrong with that...it's not for everyone. What annoys me are the people who go on to dismiss it entirely).
But let me not spend too much time on those kinds of people. Instead, let me say congratulations to Marjane and Philadelphia! The city is in for a real treat of a book, and I hope they all enjoy a lively, thought-provoking discussion after reading it!
