My Never Ending List

At the age of 6, she was sure she was the last prophet. When I read this, it put a smile on my face, this was a girl who had a dream, she saw the world around her and saw her place in it. This was Satrapi, an Iranian girl who lived in Iran before the revolution. When at the age at 10, she was told to wear the veil, she didn’t understand why, like many of them, but she abided by the rules and consulted God daily, keeping her faith hidden. Distress and chaos shatters the city as days turn into weeks, the weeks never ending as the fighting continues. Satrapi attends a demonstration, a history lesson is told, I feel that Satrapi finally begins to understand the multitude of the situation that she is living in. Grandma arrives and begins telling stories of the past, a strong bond is created between these two. Friends are leaving the country yet her parents refuse to leave, “everything will be alright……..” is repeated over and over again as if somehow saying this statement will result in it coming true. Satrapi suddenly becomes this different person, she’s authoritative, a leader, she becomes rebellious yet there she is, sticking up for what’s right. I liked this period in her life, she was all over the place, trying to find her way in her chaotic world. She wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind, of being the odd man out, she did what she thought was right and didn’t back down. There were times I was proud of her and other times, I questioned her and what she stood for.

At the age of 14, her parents send her to Australia, claiming they will meet up with her later, yet she knew they would not be coming. They were trying to protect her. In Australia, Satrapi arrives and moves around a few times until she finds a place to call her own. Satrapi had lived quite a life already and some individuals were interested in her past while others harassed her because of it. I liked the transformations that she makes during this next phase of her life, both physical and mentally. There was such a variety and she never stopped moving. From the age of 6, we knew she had determination and now, we see that she still has this inside her as she tries to make a life in Australia by herself. An interesting graphic novel memoir that I am glad that I picked up.