Recent Reads: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Publisher: Pantheon
Publication Date:  April 2003

 

Format: Hardback
Source: Borrowed from the Library

Rating:
 


 


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Originally published to wide critical acclaim in France, where it elicited comparisons to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran: of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life and of the enormous toll repressive regimes exact on the individual spirit. Marjane’s child's-eye-view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a stunning reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, through laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love. 

Mini Review: 
Persepolis is a memoir about growing up in a turbulent time in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution. The memoir is told by a girl as she ages and the experiences she and her family has. It was a very thought-provoking and interesting read. I think putting it in a graphic novel format makes the impact deeper - you are seeing the characters of her life and the experiences in morbid gray-scale. I did not know a lot about Iran before reading this and I feel like it did teach me some things. I think that it is an important read in the world of graphic novels.