#551 - Persian Nights : An Indian Child in Iran

by Alaka Rajan Skinner and illustrated by Shweta Allam, Vishnu Jadhav and Chandrashekhar Aher

“Persian Nights : An Indian Child in Iran” by Alaka Rajan Skinner and illustrated by Shweta Allam, Vishnu Jadhav and Chandrashekhar Aher. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A memoir about the author’s childhood in Tehran in tumultuous times in graphic novel format.

In the 1970s the author’s father got a teaching job in the university at Tehran. The author was a little girl at the time. She and her mother joined their father in Iran when her baby brother was a few months old. They set up their home in the beautiful city and began to understand the cultural connections between India and Persia. For the children, Iran was their country.

Gradually they started noticing changes in the country. The Islamic revolution came first and was then followed by the Iran Iraq war. Their lives seemed to have changed forever. Caught in the turmoil, they are forced to take difficult decisions. Their old life seems to be a memory of the distant past which is not going to come back. There are more divisions now than ever. Read the book to find out how the little girl and her brother try to make sense of their upside down world and come to terms with the loss of the place that has been home to them.

The story weaves themes of nostalgia, family, cultural experiences and turmoil beautifully. My ten year old son and I found the book so engrossing that we just couldn’t put it down. This was the first time he was reading a story where an outsider in a region begins to feel like an insider over time. He was curious to know more about the turmoil in Iran and what would happen next. When I first heard about this book, what caught my attention was that this story was supposed to have similarities to “Persepolis” which is one of my favourite graphic novels. My son has always wanted to read it ever since he heard me rave about it. He loved this book and now eagerly looks forward to reading “Persepolis” in a couple of years. Thanks to this story he got a glimpse into the culture and history of Iran. The last couple of pages have additional details about Iran, the Islamic revolution and the Iran-Iraq war.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 10/11 and above.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!