Daria Taplin

The pair of books I chose to read over the summer were Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, and In the Time of Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, neither of which are traditional novels that a student would expect to read in high school. To start, Persepolis is a graphic novel; this writing style in itself sets the book apart from a typical high school read. Both of the novels are of strong women in foreign countries who independently devote a majority of their lives towards revolution. Both Persepolis and In the Time of Butterflies beyond doubt should be added to the required eleventh grade English classes.
At Albany High School a majority of the books taught in freshman and sophomore year such as Of Mice and Men, 1984, The Maltese Falcon, Lord of the flies, and many more have men as the main characters. Not to imply that these novels shouldn’t be taught, however something these books lack are strong women as main characters and more cultural diversity. It is important that in the eleventh grade students get a variety of books from different angles. Classic American novels are vital to the required high school book list, but more modern cultural novels are important as well.
Persepolis fits this description perfectly; it was published very recently in 2003 and is written in comic book style. Not only is it a uniquely refreshing but it also teaches a lot about the Iranian Revolution through the perspective of a young girl. Along with a great engaging story line, the comic book’s pictures help present the story in a way that helps the reader understand the youthful aspect of the main character.
Although Butterflies is a harsher read than Persepolis, it as well contributes to a more cultural point of view that should be offered to Albany students. This non-fiction novel provides an intense reality through the Dominican Revolution. From the novel students will be able to learn about a revolution in a different country that was lead by educated, strong, liberated women.