A comic about a revolution can hit harder than a novel. Why — and how do you talk about a book that moved you?
The whole series · The Girl and the Revolution →
Ten items. Say your answer out loud before you reveal it.
Read the sentence, guess the meaning of the word in bold, then reveal.
Same method: guess from the sentence, then reveal.
Three useful words for a book discussion. Guess, then reveal.
Read each part. After it, answer the quick check from memory, then discuss one question.
Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969 and grew up in Tehran, the capital of Iran. As an adult she settled in France, and between 2000 and 2003 she published the story of her own childhood and youth in French, as a comic in four volumes. She called it Persepolis, the Greek name for the ancient Persian capital.
It is a memoir — a true account written from memory — but it looks nothing like a traditional one. The pages are made of small black-and-white drawings in boxes called panels, with short captions and speech bubbles. A first-time reader may expect something light. Few expect what follows.
The book reached English readers in the early 2000s and became one of the most widely read graphic memoirs in the world. In 2007 Satrapi helped turn it into an animated film, which shared a Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar.
1. Where did Satrapi grow up, and where did she later live?
2. Why is the book called a memoir?
3. What happened to the story in 2007?
1. She grew up in Tehran in Iran and later settled in France.
2. Because it is a true account of her own life, written from memory.
3. It became an animated film that shared a Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar.
The story begins when Marji, the narrator, is about ten and living in Tehran. Her country is in the middle of a revolution: the old government falls, a much stricter one takes its place, and almost everything about daily life changes — what girls must wear, what books are allowed, what can be said out loud.
Then comes a long war with Iraq. Marji grows up through bombing, fear and loss, until, at fourteen, her parents send her to Vienna to keep her safe. The second half of the book follows her through loneliness abroad, a difficult return to Tehran and a final decision to leave again.
It sounds heavy, and it is. But it is also funny, sharp and full of ordinary life: a girl who loves music, argues with her teachers and dreams of being a prophet. That mixture is what many readers remember.
1. How old is Marji when the story begins?
2. What happens to her at fourteen?
3. Why do many readers say the book is not only heavy?
1. About ten.
2. Her parents send her to Vienna to keep her safe.
3. Because it is also funny and full of ordinary life, not only fear and loss.
A comic works differently from a novel. Words and pictures arrive together, and the reader has to join them up. In the white spaces between the panels, nothing is drawn, and the mind fills the gap. That small act of imagination can make a scene feel more personal than a page of description.
Satrapi's style is deliberately stark: bold black lines, simple faces, no shading. Some readers feel this makes the book more honest; others say the simplicity lets them see themselves in the story, whatever country they come from. Because the drawings are so plain, the sad moments can feel sharper, and the funny ones lighter.
That is why a comic can be poignant in a way that surprises people. It does not tell you how to feel. It shows you a scene, leaves a gap, and lets you arrive at the feeling yourself.
1. What happens in the white spaces between panels?
2. How do some readers explain the effect of the simple drawings?
3. Why can a comic feel more personal than a long description?
1. Nothing is drawn; the reader's mind fills in the gap.
2. They say it feels honest, or it lets readers see themselves in the story.
3. Because the reader must join words and pictures and make the connection themselves.
Most of us stop at "I enjoyed it" or "I didn't". A good book conversation goes further. The Response Wheel gives you four moves you can use on any book — and any one of them can start a discussion.
These comments could all be said in a book discussion. Which move on the wheel is each one?
1. Notice — it points to something observed in the book.
2. React — it reports how the book affected the speaker.
3. Question — it asks the group to think about the author's choice.
4. Connect — it links the book to the speaker's own life.
5. Notice — it observes a pattern across the book.
6. React — it describes a feeling, not a fact about the book.
7. Question — it invites others to respond.
8. Connect — it connects the story to the speaker's own experience.
It's not a script. Four moves are a way in, not an order to follow. Real conversations jump between them.
"Notice" must be specific. "It's really well written" is a judgement, not an observation. Name the page, the line or the detail.
A reaction is not a verdict. Someone who was bored has still reacted. Say so, and say why — it is more interesting than polite praise.
"I liked it" ends a conversation. Better reaction language is precise, varied and a little personal. Three tools help: the -ed / -ing adjectives, intensifiers, and the "what struck me was…" structure.
Choose the correct form for each sentence.
1. The final page is deeply (moved / moving).
2. I was genuinely (shocked / shocking) by how calmly it is told.
3. Her honesty is quite (disarmed / disarming).
4. Everyone in the room seemed (fascinated / fascinating) by the drawings.
5. I found the school scenes rather (disturbed / disturbing).
1. moving (describes the page)
2. shocked (describes how I felt)
3. disarming (describes her honesty)
4. fascinated (describes how they felt)
5. disturbing (describes the scenes)
Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.
1. What surprised me it was the humour.
2. I was really fascinating by the drawings.
3. The ending was very shocked.
4. It was the second half what moved me most.
5. The thing that struck me were the empty panels.
1. What surprised me was the humour.
2. I was really fascinated by the drawings.
3. The ending was very shocking. (or: absolutely shocking)
4. It was the second half that moved me most.
5. The thing that struck me was the empty panels.
Rewrite each sentence to put the emphasis on the underlined idea. Use the starter in brackets.
1. The humour surprised me most. (What …) →
2. The ending moved me. (It was …) →
3. The simple drawings struck me first. (The thing that …) →
1. What surprised me most was the humour.
2. It was the ending that moved me.
3. The thing that struck me first was the simple drawings.
Now give three reactions to the last book or film you read or saw: one with an -ed adjective, one with an -ing adjective and one with "What struck me was…".
Now it's your turn. Choose a task, start the timer and talk. On your own it works as a talk; with a partner or a group, take turns and respond to each other.
Talk about a book, film or story that stayed with you. Use all four moves: what you noticed, how it felt, what you'd ask and how it connects to your life.
Tell us about a story that surprised you by being funny, or serious, when you expected the opposite. What did the surprise do to you?
Do you prefer to be told a story in words or in pictures? Explain, giving an example of each that has worked on you.
Choose someone you know and recommend a book to them. Say who it is for, what to expect and what might put them off.