Persepolis- The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
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Web ID: 16778077A graphic novel memoir of the revolution
The author was born in 1969 in Iran and was 10 when the revolution took place. Her family was liberal and very modern, although not supporters of the Shah. Some of her family members were Communists, dedicated to advancing the plight of the poor. Lost in the history of what has happened in Iran since 1979 is that when the Shah fell from power, there was a dynamic and western oriented middle and business class. The university system provided a very high quality education to the students. Having been born and raised in the western oriented family, Satrapi was an independent-minded girl that found it difficult to tamp her desires down to appease the new revolutionary rulers. Women were being forced to wear very restrictive clothing and anything in the area of western pop culture was suppressed if not illegal. The war with Iraq gave the new religious rulers the excuse they needed to tighten restrictions and engage in public executions. The irony of the change is mentioned, where the Shah’s police arrested and jailed, the new rulers simply killed dissidents. Told from the perspective of a child and in the form of a graphic novel, this book is a history lesson on the nation of Iran. One important point is that even though the religious leaders were and continue to be able to enforce a restrictive theocracy, there is still an undercurrent of western modernity in Iran. That is a point that must be kept in mind when dealing with what is a very ancient nation.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Memoir in graphic novel form
I’m not a huge graphic novel reader, but this was an excellent way to explain what has happened in the Middle East from the point of view of someone who lived through it. It made it easy to understand and tugged at my heartstrings. It’s a memoir, but in a unique format that kept me reading until I was finished. If you like this you will also like George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This is awesome
I'm only 14 and I very much enjoy the book and understand it very well I love how Ms.Satrapi pretty much animated her whole life, this is just beautiful.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An eye-opening graphic memoir!
This graphic memoir of Marjane Satrapi's early years, from age six to sixteen, focuses on the Islamic Revolution in her home country of Iran and her life in it. Raised by outspoken parents, Marjane rebels against the regime early on, choosing to wear and listen to whatever she likes. As her country continues to change, with forced coverings for females and less tolerance of anything influenced by the West, Marjane finds herself rebelling more and more, to a point that her parents are quite worried! This eye-opening autobiography gives us real-life memories of a child growing up during a pivotal time in Iranian history. Marjane is an open-minded, educated young girl with parents that taught her to think for herself and allowed her plenty of freedom at a young age. As a teenager, she has an openly rebellious streak that puts her in trouble's way more than once.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com