Many Worlds, One Li-Bro-rian

Chanani, N. (2017) Pashmina . New York, NY: First Second Priyanka is a great artist and cartoonist.  That doesn't really save her from the troubles of being a teen raised by a single mom. When her uncle has a new baby, she starts to feel the loss of the attention she once took for granted.  When she finds a mysterious pashmina scarf in one her mom's old suitcases she doesn't think much of it.  When she puts it on though, it transports her to a beautiful, idealistic version of India.  She begins to withdraw from her family and escape into this colorful India within the pashima.  After begging her mom to let her go to India, she finally gets her way.  In India she gets a rude awakening.  It's not the India of her visions.  There is much hardship mixed in with all the beauty.  After tracking down the origins of her pashmina, she finds the magic within is designed to show women the power of their choices.  She goes home a changed person...

Satrapi, M. (2003) Persepolis . New York, NY: Pantheon Books Persepolis is a graphic novel that tells the story of Marjane Satrapi’s childhood, growing up in Iran.   It has an introduction that gives a brief history of Iran as a start.   It continues to give a first-hand account of the more recent history, the changes of regimes that control Iran.   As a young child Marj wanted to be a prophet and would talk to God every night.   She had very strong ideals on how the world should act. As the political climate around her changed, she begin to learn more about the world around her and she began talking to God less and less.   At age nine, she discovered that her grandfather was a prince.   When the shah took over, with western help, he supplanted the emperor and made her grandfather prime minister.   However, grandfather’s ideals did not align with the shah’s so he was imprisoned.   The Shah’s regime was not popular and was fought and eventu...