Join us for our next meetup as we discuss "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi!

Thursday, July 21, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Hanes House

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art will host "Banned Books Summer" this May through August. "Banned Books Summer" is a series of informal discussions of novels and memoirs that have, for one reason or another, been banned from public school libraries across the country. SECCA director William Carpenter will lead the discussions, which are free and open to all.

The discussions will examine the topics and themes central to the books. In addition, participants will look at the contexts and reasons for the books being banned. "It's important to ask what book bans say about the social and political climates we live in," said Carpenter. "Do these bans speak to our values or to our fears? Why do so many such bans focus on books that confront race, class, gender, and sexuality?"

For our July meetup, we'll be discussing Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's best-selling graphic novel memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

Support our local book store by purchasing the book from Bookmarks, available here. Book club members, make sure to mention SECCA's book club when checking out in-store at Bookmarks to get 20% off your book club purchase! For online orders, use discount code "20SECCA".

ABOUT THE BOOK

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane's child's-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.