Book: Persepolis I and II
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Pages: 341
How long it took me to read: A day or less...it's a graphic novel and you could possible read it in 2 hours.
Plot Summary: This book is a autobiographical graphic novel about the author's childhood in Tehran, Iran during the Islamic Revolution and during the Iraq-Iran war. The second book continues into the author's adulthood and return to Iran (after a stint in Austria) and her life in a very conservative Iran.
That being said that book is so much more than just this glib summary. The book is also about her family- my favourite aspect about this book- and about a country in chaos. The changing world and people holding on to normal lives the best they can and basically about the human spirit surviving in troubled times.
Characters: There is Marji herself, our protagonist, who we see from a 9 year old who wants to be the next prophet to a young woman studying art in college. I liked Marji, I liked her little quirks and her spirit.
Marji's family however is my absolute favourite. Her parents- father Ebi and mother Taji are amazing, strong and very loving and extremely supportive to their only child. They are also active protesters against the regime and try and install similar traits in their daughter. Her grandmother though just might be my absolute fave- she is funny, witty, strong and full of stories. Reading about her made me miss my grandma with a vengeance :(
There are also several secondary characters that blend seamlessly with the narrative and add to the story.
What I liked: Simply put, I pretty much loved everything! The art. The story. The people. The country. Everything!!!! I loved that even though the book covers such a tumultuous time in this country's history, it doesn't become disheartening or tragic (though it is sad in parts), the focus remains these wonderful cast of characters. The book is really about regular, everyday people- people like you and me living under a oppressive regime and still holding on to themselves. Still trying to live they way they used to. The portions about the sly parties Marji's parents threw and the dancing and drinking they did on the downlow, made me both smile and tear up.
What I didn't: Nothing really...well...I didn't really like the Austria bits very much. I liked the portions in Iran more and I liked to see what Marji's family were up to and how they were coping with the war.
General Thoughts: I cannot believe I hadn't read this book in soooooo long. I meant to pick it up for years and years and somehow I just didn't! I am so glad I read it, finally! I loved it. The art is pretty amazing but the people and their stories are stellar. I studied Iranian history in college briefly and remembered most of it, but you can read about wars and Cultural Revolution and they stay just words. Reading what the people went through just puts things in perspective. I really loved this book and I just cannot recommend it enough. This book made me smile, laugh and cry (just a bit) and feel many many feelings and it's not very often that a book does that! It also made me think about life and freedom and choice and living freely.
Will you like it? Hells yes!
Rating: 5/5 without a doubt!
Comments
P.S. My heart went out most to the illustrations. So lovely!