An ordinary day at Curtis Technical High School in 2013 sparks a movement when teachers are ordered to remove Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi from the shelves as it has been decided that the book is no longer allowed in classrooms or libraries at Chicago Public Schools. But the students aren’t willing to let that be the last word on things and begin to push back. Even as they struggle to with other things that are going on in their lives, the students are unwilling to let things stand because no one should control what anyone reads.
This fantastic graphic novel tells the story of the 2013 attempt to ban Persepolis in the Chicago Public Schools, and the work local teens put in to overturning the ban. Using a combination of facts and fiction, we get a deeply personal look at the battle for the book as well as glimpses into the lives of the teens involve. All of the teens have more going on in their lives than just a decision that their school made, but they show up in different ways throughout the battle. With a limited color palette and thick line work, the focus is really drawn to the characters. It would work as an excellent companion piece to read with Persepolis as well as standing on its own as a timely read about book banning. One of the things I appreciate most about the book was both the way it showed that people can fight for the same cause in a myriad of different ways as and how institutional censorship by organizations works. It’s a fantastic read that I highly recommend. Five out of five stars.
