In which my perspective broadened a bit.

I just read Persepolis, the graphic novel about a woman who grew up in Iran around the time of the revolution, and I am currently very intrigued by Iranian history. Sad to say, I don't know much about it, despite having a best friend whose father hails directly from Iran.

As a American child of the nineties knowing little of Middle Eastern history or culture beyond seemingly never-ending war, the picture that pops in my head when I think of Iran (or, really, any Middle Eastern country) is this (which is from a girls school in Iran):

I am so amazed, however, that a society dominated by traditional Islam is only a tiny blip in Persian history. Pictures of Iran pre-1979 revolution clash dramatically with that mental image from above. This picture from Iran in the seventies could be from California in the seventies, and this blows my mind! It's like I suddenly stumbled onto a new way of seeing history and the world, and I want to see more.

I know that the veils and traditional garb are not at all representative of modern Iran, and I know Iranians are probably tired of being misrepresented as this in western media. I know modern Iran has a rich, vibrant culture, despite years of ruling by the traditional Islamic Regime—this is evident in the major controversy surrounding the 2009 presidential elections. But this is seriously a place I am curious to learn more about. I read Persepolis for a year-long World Reading Challenge in which I am participating, and this is exactly what I have hoped to get out of the books I read.