Each year the Philadelphia Public Library system encourages the City of Brotherly Love to read a book as a way of coming together as a community. For 2010, they've selected Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis, a gripping autobiography about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Satrapi’s graphic novel was made into an Oscar-nominated film in 2007, and even if you’re not a CNN regular, this rich memoir about being a woman and an outsider in Iran sheds light on an issue still being played out today.
A perfect way to embrace Philadelphia’s Free Library system, the project gives residents a chance to discuss politically relevant literature. After reading the book, readers can participate in free activities across the city through March. For the less-than-literary, keep a look out for the city’s cinematic version of the project, One Film, to be announced later this year.
