Nylon Road

Nylon Road: A Graphic Memoir of Coming of Age in Iran
Written and illustrated by Parsua Bashi
ISBN: 9780312532864
St. Martin's Griffin

Quick Note: Many other reviews have compared this to Persepolis, a graphic novel that I have not read. As I haven't read it, I can't compare the two of them.

To Sum: The simple summary is that it is a writer/artist reflecting on what she's been through. However, there's a lot to this, and maybe more so because it's not a topic we hear a lot about in the West. Or worse, we stereotype and characterize the people from that region as all the same.

But, the interesting thing to me at least, was how universal her discoveries are. For example - at one point, she makes the connection that although the Europeans are very ignorant of Iran and the Middle East, she was just as ignorant of Europe and its people when she was in Iran.

And one of those truths? "I learned that not knowing is not a sin. Not knowing and yet being prejudice is where the problem starts."(Pg. 79)

What to Watch out for: This book covers a lot of topics, and few things are shown. However, it does talk about things from a mature standpoint of someone looking back at their life, and who they were at different points. The laws in Iran are very different from ours, and she shows this. There is some depictions of modern late teens in skimpy outfits as well as frank talk about stereotypes and the idea of freedom of speech. There are some very cartoony sunbathers that are topless (probably more common over there) and once or twice she has a swear word. Nothing major.

For the few negatives, however, I can not say how moved I was with this book. And to know that she is not alone in having suffered through that life. An important book if for no other reason than it gives us an honest look at what life was like for her under Shiite government, as well as the philosophical points she brings up.

Where to shelve: Given what I talked about in the previous section, I think it's important enough to just have in the library. Adults for sure. Older teens would probably appreciate it. If you have a high school library, I can see it for that.

The first chapter is available as a PDF:

http://us.macmillan.com/CMS400/uploadedFiles/Nylon_Road_-_chapter1.pdf

Other Reviews:
http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/125920921561484.htm
http://www.bookpage.com/books-10012517-Nylon+Road
http://us.macmillan.com/nylonroad
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2306171,00.html
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/11/the-geekly-reader-nylon-road/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0312532865/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books