Persepolis Being Banned from Chicago Schools?

 
Bleeding Cool News is reporting that Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis may be experiencing a controversy. According to a post from the principal of Lane Tech College Prep High School, the book has caught the attention of someone who doesn't want the book available to students.

Read more about this possible censorship case here. You can access the principal's email address and send a letter of support for the book's continued inclusion in this and other Chicago-area schools, which is also a letter of support for students' ability to access it, read it, and learn from it.

Here's a copy of the email I just sent:

Dear Principal Dignam,

Hi there. I'm James Bucky Carter, an English Education professor and comics-and-literacy scholar. My work on comics and education has appeared in publications from MLA, NCTE, ALAN and ASCD. I have been a keynote or featured speaker on the subject at NCTE affiliates in NY, NH, OR, MO, NC, IO, and ID.

I'm writing in support of the graphic novel _Persepolis_, which, according to some media outlets, is being challenged in your schools?:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/15/persepolis-banned-in-chicagos-schools/

Please trust me when I tell you that Marjane Satrapi's _Persepolis_ is an excellent graphic novel for inclusion in public schools and libraries. As well, my research indicates that it is one of three graphic novels with which teachers are most familiar at the national level (along with Maus and American Born Chinese). Lesson plans and articles have been written on how to teach it. You might see the Marla Harris chapter on teaching it in my book _Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels_, published by NCTE and a best-seller for them. You might see Susan Spangler's chapter on integrating Persepolis into the ELA classroom by visiting the online _Journal of Media Literacy Education_. There is also a rationale for teaching the first volume of Persepolis available on the CDrom/ebook _Rationales for Teaching Graphic Novels_. Alan Webb has some great articles and a book on exploring literature from the Middle East in the American ELA classroom.

Simply put, there is no lack of information regarding teacher's respect for this text or how to use it effectively in a secondary school classroom.

I have recommended _Persepolis_ for secondary audiences for many years. I have taught it in my YA lit classes for many years. While it is true that the book can be seen as controversial from any number of parties (I've had christian students express frustration with it as well as Muslim students), its potential to open dialogue and discourse at a time when our country and the Middle East need to find understandings.... Well, it might be unparallelled.

I encourage you to support this inclusion of _Persepolis_ in your school's classrooms and libraries, to encourage your teachers to support the text as well, and I hope you might share this support across Chicago.

Thank you for the work you do. If I can be of any help, do not hesitate to call upon me.

Sincerely,

JBC

TONIGHT!: Harvard Hosts Discussion on Zahra's Paradise

Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies is hosting a web discussion on how to consider and use Zahra's Paradise in educational settings. The event starts at 7:00 this afternoon. If you think you might want to register for the event, contact the center via this email: cmesoc@fas.harvard.edu and log in around 6:45.

I hate that I'm going to miss it, especially since I'll be using this new graphic novel in a graduate-level class I'm teaching next semester. Hopefully the recording will be archived, but if you've got the hour available, you might want to listen in -- and participate too!

PBS's Independent Lens TV Show looks at The 99

Some great coverage for an important comics series! Click here to see a spot.

Harvard Workshops Focus on Muslim Identity in Comics

Did you know the Harvard University Center for Middle East Studies has been giving workshops on Muslim identity and comics? Me neither, but there's one coming up in late April, and it is free and open to the public!

Take THAT, Tolerance!: Muslim-Centric Cartoon "The 99" Attacked in "NY Post"

According to ICV2.com, "Some of the same folks that brought about the 9/11 Mosque controversy are sharpening their Islamophobic axes to attack The 99, a comic book-based cartoon from Teshkeel Media that features 99 heroes, who embody the 99 attributes of Allah."

The 99 started as a comic, of course, and is also designed to help people understand that Islam is not all about crashing aircraft into buildings and hyper-violence, but, I guess if Westerners understood that, it'd make it that much harder to "kill them back."

Ah, the political dangers of peeling back the layers of othering to reveal the best of all humanities.....

I'm going to go cry now......

Great Article on Muslims in Comics

Indoctrination and Religion vs. Tolerance and Education. Notions of "super" powers. The 99 and Silver Scorpion. This post from The Beat has a little of everything.

A Cross-Over for the 21st Century

ICV2 reports that Batman will team up with Islamic heroes The 99. Talk about comics bringing cultures together! This is a smart move and will hopefully be a good read too.