The Complete Persepolis

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It's a hit!

A fantastic, moving, and often funny memoir based on a young woman's life in Iran. The descendant of Iran's deposed monarch, Satrapi's family figh... (show more)

A fantastic, moving, and often funny memoir based on a young woman's life in Iran. The descendant of Iran's deposed monarch, Satrapi's family fights against the Shah regime, only to see their nation fall under the grip of fundamentalism.

When I think of the efforts of Christian fundamentalism in America, and where they aim to take this nation, I'm immediately drawn to Persepolis. The line between Iran and Jesus Camp is a very short one. We must be vigilant not to lose our democracy to such violent authoritarians.

But Persepolis is more than politics; it's really the coming-of-age story that we all can relate to. Teenage rebellion, uncertainly about a new world, trying to fit in and make peace with yourself. Marjane Satrapi is my new hero. She's great.

I've been aware of the Persepolis books for a number of years (now assembled into one volume), but I didn't finally buy it until I saw the movie, which was outstanding and brilliant in all those ways that make, say, Isao Takahata brilliant. But pour through the book I did, and it's one that you can pull out and quote whenever needed. (show less)

 

 

by Daniel Thomas MacInnes

No, it's a flop!

This is a hard book. The use of the graphic novel style and the simple language of a child makes it even more stark. It is really a gut wrenching a... (show more)

This is a hard book. The use of the graphic novel style and the simple language of a child makes it even more stark. It is really a gut wrenching account of growing up--but growing up in a war zone with changing religious principles as her country, Iran, went from secular to fundementalist and as she went from childhood through adolesence first in Iran and then in Austria. When she returns to Iran and the safety of her parents, she discovers just how unsafe Iran has become--and must find a way to blend her own feminism and outspokeness with the expectations of the public world. However, by telling the story from this vantage point it is much more real--there are no superheros in this book--just stark reality. Worth the read but not a book I can say I loved as someof my friends said they did. War is not something to love. (show less)

 

 

by Margaret Frisch Klein

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  I was skeptical about the great reviews that this book has received given that it is a graphic novel and I have never read a graphic novel. As required reading for the incoming freshman class at my son's university, all the students were given a copy of this book at orientation. Knowing that it would be a few weeks before my son actually began to read it, I picked it up to take a closer look. Immediately I was hooked and I didn't put the book down until I was finished with it. It is eye openi... (show more)

  I was skeptical about the great reviews that this book has received given that it is a graphic novel and I have never read a graphic novel. As required reading for the incoming freshman class at my son's university, all the students were given a copy of this book at orientation. Knowing that it would be a few weeks before my son actually began to read it, I picked it up to take a closer look. Immediately I was hooked and I didn't put the book down until I was finished with it. It is eye opening to see (literally because of the graphic novel format) a first hand account of life in Iran and how similar the desires/drama/rebellion of a Middle Eastern teen so closely mimic those of their Western counterparts. The format of this novel also lends itself to giving a lesson on the history of the region in a memorable and interesting fashion. (show less)

   

   

  by Sharon Hingst Murphy on Jun 16, 2009 at 04:25AM

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  While very wordy at times for a graphic novel, I felt this was very effective at portraying its subject matter. Marjane Satrapi is writing about herself as a girl growing up when Iran was in a turbulent time and she has to find her place in the world. It goes through her as a child, then as a teenager in which she spent in Austria and various European countries, and then she finally returns to Iran to once again leave. It's a great story about one who is trying to find her place in the wor... (show more)

  While very wordy at times for a graphic novel, I felt this was very effective at portraying its subject matter. Marjane Satrapi is writing about herself as a girl growing up when Iran was in a turbulent time and she has to find her place in the world. It goes through her as a child, then as a teenager in which she spent in Austria and various European countries, and then she finally returns to Iran to once again leave. It's a great story about one who is trying to find her place in the world. The art is exciting to read as well, as the author seems to plan and draw the panels very well to express the right kind of emotion. The art is simplistic, but that works overall with a subject matter that is rather complex. While it is based on Satrapi's life, she does pepper in things one will find unreal and stretches of truth, which is all used in a very smart way. Fun read. Excellent graphic novel. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Nov 25, 2009 at 03:47PM

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