The Complete Persepolis

I really enjoyed reading The Complete Persepolis. Not only was the subject matter fascinating, but also the graphics were beautifully drawn.

In a way, it reminded me of Marbles: Mania, Michelangelo, and Me. That is to say, both books deal with a very serious matter - Persepolis war, restrictions, fundamentalism and Marbles bi-polar disorder. I felt that the graphics helped to make these difficult subjects both more realistic and more digestible. No, the books do not make light of their subjects, just because they are graphic, but they shed a different sort of light on what is being said, especially since you see the story through the eyes of one character who grows and changes throughout the reading.

I felt Marjane's pain very poignantly, especially when she was trying so hard to fit in with her classmates. I always struggled with how to fit in, and her circumstances were just that much more severe as to invoke great compassion for her. Somehow I never found her whiny, though she definitely did not like her own situation.

I was a little bit surprised at some of the casual drug use in the graphic novel, I will say. That is not to say that it isn't realistic, because it is, especially when someone is going through painful situations. I was just taken aback a bit.

Overall, I felt this was a therapeutic read that took me through a lot of struggles in a not-as-traumatic-as-it-could've-been manner. Though I'm sure it was also therapeutic to write, I found it therapeutic to read, because I must constantly remind myself that things could be much worse. I highly recommend this book and found no fault with it. ( )

This book has been written by Marjane Satrapi sharing her experiences of her childhood life in a war torn country. It describes a lot about the Iranian revolution and the Iranian culture before the revolution. It talks about the pre/present educational, sultural and religious systems of Iran. Marjane Satrapi tried to raise the point that war is never a good option for any country because it destroys the various systems in a country pressuring on the human society.

I guess this is another one of those books for people who don't regularly read. It's OK. No insights into human nature. No new perspectives about living under a theocracy. If anything, I felt amazement that a girl growing up in Iran could have such a spoiled life. The really terrible events happen to other people; the cartoony author avatar only experiences self-inflicted middle-class problems. As Camus would say, a rebel, not a revolutionary. ( )

LOVED ( )

J'ai pris cette BD un soir... et je n'ai pu la reposer qu'après l'avoir terminée. Le portrait très touchant d'une jeune femme née en Iran en quête de son identité dans le contexte de la révolution culturelle iranienne. J'ai adoré. ( )