Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Reception

Critical Reception

Upon its release, the graphic novel received high praise, but was also met with criticism and calls for censorship. According to Bookmarks, the book received "rave" reviews based on 6 critic reviews with 3 being "rave" and 3 being "positive".[24] On Metacritic, for part two, the book received a 84 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews.[25] On the French site Zoo Le Mag, aggregates critic reviews of comics, the comic received 4.0 out of 5 based on critic reviews of individual volumes.[26] Globally, the work, based on assessments of reviews from the Complete Review, received ratings such as "A" and "B+" for reviews of the volumes.[27][28]

Andrew Arnold of TIME described Persepolis as "sometimes funny and sometimes sad but always sincere and revealing."[29] Kristin Anderson of The Oxonian Review of Books of Balliol College, University of Oxford said, "While Persepolis' feistiness and creativity pay tribute as much to Satrapi herself as to contemporary Iran, if her aim is to humanise her homeland, this amiable, sardonic and very candid memoir couldn't do a better job."[30]

Awards, Lists, and Impact

The book continued to receive acclaim among many critics lists. According to The Greatest Books, a site that aggregates book lists, it is the "The 592nd greatest book of all time".[31]Persepolis has won numerous awards, including one for its text at the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario in Angoulême, France, and another for its criticism of authoritarianism in Vitoria, Spain. Marie Ostby points out that "Satrapi's work marks a watershed movement in the global history of the graphic novel," exemplified by the recent increase in use of the graphic novel as a "cross-cultural form of representation for the twenty-first century Middle East."[7] Time magazine included Persepolis in its "Best Comics of 2003" list.[32]

Despite the controversy surrounding the novel, Persepolis has turned into an important piece of literature which connects the Western and Iranian world. The graphic novel was awarded to Newsweek's Ten Best Fiction books list, and was created into a film in 2007.[33] Reading Persepolis "lends itself to discussion of literary strategies and to teaching visual literacy, as well as to broader discussions of cultural difference as constructed in art and the media and as experienced in life".[33]

Friere and Macedo argue that teaching Persepolis in a middle school classroom has proved to be beneficial in the development of students' literacy and critical thinking skills, which are necessary to help them interpret the world around them.[17] In a journal article on how to teach Persepolis in a post 9/11 classroom, Lisa Botshon and Melinda Plastas from the University of Illinois assert that Persepolis offers a platform for students to question Western stereotypes and fear surrounding the Middle East. Another study that was done also showed that Persepolis has greatly impacted the thinking skills of middle school students who were taught it in their ELA classroom. Despite the images and easy-to-read text, Persepolis is also often taught at the high school level because high-school aged students would be able to take the information learned and thoroughly discuss it to enhance their literary skills.[33] From writing about her life and the people in it, Satrapi's writing also denies the typical assumptions made by the world about Western Iranian women.[33] Friere and Macedo believe that the way women and Iranian society in general are presented in the book can help students come to doubt their perceived sense of national insecurity when it comes to the Middle East.[21]

In 2019, the graphic novel was ranked 47th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.[34]

Censorship in the United States

Despite the positive reviews, Persepolis faced some attempts at censorship in school districts across the United States. In March 2013, the Chicago Public Schools ordered copies of Persepolis to be removed from seventh-grade classrooms after Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett determined that the book "contains graphic language and images that are not appropriate for general use".[35][36][37] Upon hearing about the proposed ban, upperclassmen at Lane Tech High School in Chicago flocked to the library to check out Persepolis and organized demonstrations in protest. CPS reinstituted the book in school libraries and classrooms.[38]

In 2014, the book faced three different challenges across the United States, which led to its placement as #2 on the ALA's list of "Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2014".[4] The first of these controversies occurred in Oregon's Three Rivers School District, where a parent insisted on the removal of the book from its high school libraries due to the "coarse language and scenes of torture".[39] The book remained in libraries without any restriction after school board meetings to discuss this challenge. Another case of censorship arose in central Illinois' Ball-Chatham School District, where a student's parent stated that the book was inappropriate for the age group assigned. The parent also inquired into why Persepolis was assigned to the students to read on September 11.[39] Despite this opposition, the school board unanimously voted to keep the book both in the school libraries and within the curriculum. The third case occurred in Smithville, Texas, where parents and members of the school community challenged the book being taught in Smithville High School's World Geography Class. They voiced concerns about "the newly-introduced Islamic literature available to students". The school board met to discuss this issue at a meeting on February 17, 2014, after a formal complaint was filed against the book. The board voted 5–1 to retain the novel.[39]

In 2015, Crafton Hills College, in Yucaipa, California, also witnessed a challenge to the incorporation of Persepolis in its English course on graphic novels. After her completion of the class, Tara Shultz described Persepolis as pornographic and lacking in quality. Crafton Hills administrators released a statement, voicing strong support of academic freedom, and the novel was retained.[39]

In 2022, Franklin Regional High School, located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, paused teaching of Persepolis after complaints to the district. The book was reinstated to the curriculum as of a meeting on March 31, 2022.[40]


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