“Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novel
Source: Library
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
-Better than I thought it would be. Like I’ve said before, graphic novels really aren’t my thing but I had to read this for school.
-Very quick read. It’s only about 160 pages so it goes by quickly. (Good for me because I was informed that I had less than 24 hours to read it.)
-For whatever reason, I wasn’t a fan of the mini-stories that each told. I guess I like the idea of the chapters building more on each other.
-It was interesting to read about the Islamic Revolution.
-On the flip side of that point, it was harder to get into the book/relate to the book since I knew virtually nothing about the Islamic Revolution.
-Is the movie any good? I remember hearing about the movie a few years ago and that it was based on this book.
I’d recommend this to anyone who was a fan of Maus, graphic novels, or historical fiction.
Rating 2/5
It’s not horrible by any stretch of the imagination but it’s not my cup of tea at all.
The Cheap Reader 
I’ve heard good things about the movie, but I haven’t seen it (or read the book).
Too bad that you didn’t like the book more! Is it just that you’re not into graphic novels or that you didn’t get into the story that much? Because if you’re up for reading more GNs I could give you some recommendations.
I think my biggest problem was I had no history/knowledge of the Islamic (?) Revolution so I found it hard to connect to the book. I’m starting to warm up to GNs now. I’ll probably look into more when I’m done this summer.
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