Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's coming-of-age story. Starting in 1979, Marji is 9 and the Islamic Revolution is about to start in Iran. Persepolis follows Marji through the next 15 years of her life, through war and peace, adolescence, her teen years, into young adulthood and marriage (and out of it). We follow her from Iran to Austria and back, in and out of relationships and through it all we watch her struggle to realize who she is despite - or because - of her background, religion, and surroundings.

There were times I wanted to cry for Marji, cheer for her braveness, slap her for her cowardice, and just plain hide from the regime I could sense around every corner, looking for a stray hair from beneath her veil or the wrong color socks beneath her trousers.

Persepolis is amazing. At once simple and complex, it manages in 340 pages of words and pictures to capture what no novel could ever do: the experience of growing up Iranian during one of the most violent and terrifying periods of the 20th century. ( )

I really enjoyed this book -- Satrapi's crisp black and white drawings complement the straightforward and unsentimental story of her life. Parts of the book are very dark, but they are tempered by the obvious love and humor of Satrapi's family and friends. I haven't seen the film version yet (which was co-directed by Satrapi), but it is on my list.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2010/03...] ( )

In the first of the two, we get the life of young Marjane from the time of the shah, to the attack by Iraq. Marjane's family try to explain to this little girl about her family's royal history, her family friends' experiences in prison, and her new role as a young woman in an Islamic state. By the end of book one, Marjane is on her way to Austria, both to escape the conflict in Iran, and also to go to school.

In book two, Marjane grows from a young teen, into a near adult. She begins living in a convent, but is soon cast from home to home. From her life in Austria, she meets people who have different political views, who have different codes of morality, and who have had little experience with death and war as she has. Over time, Marjane becomes disillusioned with the person she has been turned into while living in Europe and returns to Iran, where she later marries and struggles against the strong Islamic rule being forced on its citizens.

Altogether, I thought Marjane's coming of age during the conflict in Iran and through the new Islamic control of the region to be brilliantly and poignantly discussed in her two graphic novels. These two novels covered issues of history in the region, discussed moral laws imposed on the nation, discussed the view of the West as imposed on the East, and many other tough issues of nation and culture. Overall, I think these graphic novels are very well done, and give the reader a great view of Iran and its culture. ( )

My dream is to one day have the most awesome graphic novel collection in the entire universe. I'm not so much into manga (which I find as too "samey") or superhero comics (which seem a bit too juvenile). What I really love are the autobiographical graphic novels. The Complete Persepolis was the first such novel I bought for my collection and remains one of my most treasured. Marjane Satrapi's memoirs of growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran and subsequently escaping the oppressive regime to live in Europe as a teenager is sometimes tragic, sometimes whimsical, but always compelling. I love this book! ( )

Marjane brings the perspective of a child coming of age amidst the Iranian Revolution. Through her, we see Iran behind the scenes, what we don't see on CNN. In the first half, we see little instances of rebellion and black-market dealing, instances of joy, as well as instances of fear. The second half sees Marjane shuttled off to Austria for her own safety and it becomes a fish-out-of-water tale. Without parents or restrictive laws, Marjane spirals out of control until she needs to come back to Iran and center herself. Even then, however, her years-long absence causes her to feel out of place in what should have been home. In this way, it also examines a person's relationship to place, and how setting imprints on the soul.

For those who cannot conceived of Iran as anything but a backwards terrorist haven that mistreats their citizens, this graphic novel brings alive the spirit of Persia and its people in all its forms. ( )