Persepolis

Persepolis

Persepolis
Written & Illustrated by Marjane Satrapi

Yes, I know I am quite late to the Persepolis party. Oops. But I suspect not a few readers haven't gotten around to this famous graphic novel yet, so take this post a a reminder to go track it down.

Persepolis is the memoir of Marjane Satrapi's growing up in the Iranian Revolution. Her parents are Communists who supplement her school education with books like a comic edition of "Dialectic Materialism," which contains arguments between Rene Descartes and Karl Marx. Marjane is intrigued that Karl Marx resembles her God:

Marjane is a willful, stubborn child growing up in a violent, confusing world. Her parents attempt to walk a fine line between keeping her safe and protected from knowledge that may hurt her and telling her information that's necessary for her to have an idea what's going on.

When it seems that they can no longer keep her safe in Iran, Marjane's parents send her to school in Europe. That's where Persepolis ends and where Persepolis II begins.

I am really happy that I finally read this. Satrapi did a wonderful job telling the story of the revolution from a child's perspective, while still writing a sophisticated, adult book. The emotions of all the characters are perfectly communicated through a combination of dialogue and illustration. If you haven't gotten your hands on this yet - Go!

(You can buy this title through  this affiliate link)