Persepolis: Book Review

Book: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1-2)

Author: Marjane Satrapi

Translator: Mattias Ripa

Genre: Memoir, Comic

Pages: Paperback 153 Rating (out of ten): 9

Cover Rating: 10

Tropes:

• War

• Revolution

• Coming of age

Brief Description:

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.

Initial thoughts:I picked up this book because it was on the Reading Olympics list, which is a club I participate in. Also, I’ve been in a reading slump for the past couple of months… so sad. Therefor, I wanted to jump back in with a book not too literary heavy. I chose Persepolis which strays from the types of books I usually read, but remains a compelling narrative that definitely interested me and will interest many, even if they don’t read memoirs. I said this book wasn’t very literary intensive because the story is told through a series of amazing comics! Persepolis tells a fantastic 3D tale, which touches on sensitive and gripping topics from quite an odd perspective, a child’s perspective. But the amazing art style is what truly captured my attention and convinced me to pick up this book.

Characters:

Marjane Satrapi: Marjane is our main character and we follow her life growing up during the Islamic revolution from the age of 6 to 14. The story focuses on moments of her childhood while facing the constant struggles of life in Iran and the changes overtime in her home country. As the story continues and the revolution progresses, Marjane grows into a young woman with thoughts and a voice of her own, which she speaks out about on numerous occasions. One of the essential features to building Marjane’s character is her thirst for knowledge. Starting with her childhood, Marjane educating herself on numerous political and social topics, which stray from the typical child’s innocent interests. Later on, she uses books and research to pursue answers to her unending list of questions regarding the revolution. However, her story and overall character wouldn’t be complete without her love for her family and their love for her. Something that is essential to influencing Marjane throughout her story is her mom and dad. They both bring her up in an unfortunate environment, protecting and raising her into strong willed and intelligent young woman.

*Light spoilers beyond this point, You have been warned!

Conflict: Marjane and her family endure everyday difficulties during the perilous time of the Islamic Revolution.

Strengths: Persepolis does a brilliant job in conveying a “heavy” topic through a series of dynamic drawings that capture the scenes better than any words could. This memoir paints a momentous story form a child’s view, which was incredibly well executed and striking towards the reader. Mari’s childlike perspective in the beginning half of the book is truly a refreshing and engrossing view many people can relate and find compelling. Surprisingly, I found the childlike perspective the most impacting aspect of the book because it was mind boggling and surprising the way children respond to the situations Mari was in. This comic series is without a doubt an extraordinary and thought provoking story which follows the unusual childhood of Marjane though everyday Iranian life during the Islamic Revolution.

Weaknesses: The only weakness I would mention is that it was easy to lose track of the events of the war because the author throws a lot of names at you at once and if you do not have prior knowledge on the subject, it can be a bit confusing.

Recommended For: I would recommend this book for mature readers, not academically, but emotionally and mentally. This book was in fact an easy read for the word usage and length, but the topic is quite serious. If you read this book at face value, the true purpose of the story won’t come across and it would seem like a waste if the reader did not receive the proper message the author wanted to make. Any person, no matter what genre they are interested in, would enjoy this book, as long as they read it with the right mindset.

Overall thoughts: I thought this book was a pleasant read, but surprisingly very mature and thought provoking, which I honestly wasn’t expecting from such a innocent looking book (and by innocent, I mean short and aesthetically pleasing). Overall, this book was brilliantly written and very much enjoyable for a short, but impacting read.