A New York Times Notable Book A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year” A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller
Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s 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 and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. 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 reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with 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.
I read 'Persepolis' and 'Persepolis 2', and thoroughly enjoyed both. After living in Uzbekistan for two years, a nation with a similar history and culture as Iran's, I became fascinated with the role of women in Muslim society. As a man, I didn't have many opportunities to understand this world, and it was this curiosity that made me want to read
Ms. Satrapi's graphic novels. Both novels were funny, touching, and poignant.
I just finished reading Persepolis part 2 (immediately after Persepolis). I absolutely loved both, At times I forgot I was reading a comic strip style book. I just love the writer and her humor and I got a real sense of what Iran was like during the years after the war for young people who were the same age as me at the time.
After spending several years studying and living a wild lifestyle in Austria, Marjane Satrapi returns to her native Iran, where the effects of the Islamic Revolution are still going strong. Home again, she struggles to find herself, returning to school, falling in love, exploring ideas with new friends, and discovering more about her family's history, all the while trying to avoid The Guardians of the Revolution.
Persepolis 2 is just as enjoyable as the first, and I look forward to reading more of Satrapi's work.
