When the Afghan MP, Malalai Joya, quoted from this book during her talk in Victoria, I looked for it and found it the youth section of the library.
On one level it is a simple & vivid story of a brave and adventuresome fish; but given the political repression in Iran and the author’s politics and the circumstances around his early death in a drowning ‘accident’s, it can also be read as a political allegory.
The Little Black Fish shows that it is impossible to completely suppress expression and resistance; the brave and creative will always find a way. This book can be interpreted as a call for independent thinking and action — a call to challenge authority and the status quo. Whatever the outcome of such adventures the author tells us that brave actions inspire even after death. That alone is a political statement for all of us. So do read it, then read it to and discuss it with the children in your life.
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