NUMBER: 68 and 69TITLE: Persepolis and Persepolis 2
AUTHOR: Marjane Satrapi
STARTED: November 30, 2007
FINISHED: December 5, 2007
PAGES: 153 and 187
GENRE: Graphic Novel
FIRST SENTENCE: This is me when I was 10 years old.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] 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.
REASON FOR READING: Selection for my bookclub.
THOUGHTS: As with most things, I enjoyed this book for the political and social realities it elicited. Satrapi spends a lot of time discussing what it was like to grow up in a repressive society under a repressive regime. For me, these passages were the strengths of the book. As a person, I found myself taking issue with several of Satrapi's decisions. This made reading her as a character rather difficult. I grew frustrated with her several times, to the point where I wanted to scream, "But why?" However, after I reminded myself that this was a true story, I calmed down a bit and was able to focus on what I liked about the book.
There was one panel that encompasses my enjoyment of this story. In it, Satrapi has drawn one figure surrounded by thought bubbles. In the first part the figure is thinking about the length of her robe, the position of her veil, etc. in the second part, the figure is thinking about her civil liberties, freedoms, etc. The image is captioned, "They know that if you're thinking {First part of image} you're not thinking {second part of the image.} Instances like there, where I was able to think about the ramifications of such a repressive and oppressive society is what made this work enjoyable.
The art was also a key point in my enjoyment of the story. I like that it was stark and simplistic. In using very basic drawings and very similar figures, Satrapi allowed the story and the "major" differences of her characters to shine through. In many ways, this story could almost be read without text. The art does overwhelm the text, it helps highly the narrative.
MISCELLANEOUS: Oh movie...
RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]
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