Product DescriptionA New York Times Notable Book A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year” A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller
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.
What Others Say
Persepolis
I have seen many reviews of this graphic autobiography/memoir on various blogs, but it wasn't until I read one that suggested that Persepolis was similar to the Maus books by Art Spiegelman, that I finally decided to check it out from the local library. I read both Maus I and Maus II in college, where they were assigned reading for one of my husband's English Lit classes, and I borrowed them from him. From the moment I started reading them I couldn't put them down. They were both horrifying and entrancing at the same time in their detail of World War II and it's long-term effects on a Jewish father and his relationship with his son.
Persepolis, while not about the Holocaust, is similar in that it is set during the time of the Islamic ... Read More
Persepolis: An intriguing look at this period
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood provides an interesting look at a relatively dark and largely misunderstood period of time. Told from an interesting point-of-view - that of a child - and in a unique way - as a graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood brings new insight to this time in history.
As the story begins, the young girls are being forced to wear head coverings, yet the young ones do not understand why. As the story progresses, the reader begins to understand the vast difference between what is portrayed in popular media and what actually occurs. The reader also begins to understand that the thoughts and beliefs of the people are not always reflected in their government. The book tells the story of the rebellion of the Iranian people against their government. ... Read More
Biased
I read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, and I was very unimpressed with the amount of opinion Satrapi put out as fact. The story is clearly biased against the Islamic Republic, which is fine, but is overly so. Satrapi never gives explanations on events that are critical to the entire picture. She never gives the reasons for why so many of her family members were harassed, and even killed. From what I read, I understand that her family were communists, and at the time, communists were trying to seize power in the revolution. Many of the groups against the existing government including communists spread havoc, and provoked terrorism, but Satrapi never says these things. She just names who were killed. She claims things like Iran rejected an offer of peace in the Iran-Iraq ... Read More
Never got my product, Had to order again.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood was needed for a college course I am taking and I never got it. I just hope the one I purchased for the second time gets to me before I need to read the book.
A story without the confines of traditional boundaries
People often associate comic books with childrens' fiction, as if the medium itself is inflexible. Some of us the comic lovers know that is not the case. And case in point Persepolis - where the emotions of a little girl in the politically and socially charged Iran takes us through what would have been a blind journey. I think pictures don't necessarily paint a thousand words, it paints many, and it leaves the number to the reader. While written words force a description on your mind, a picture leaves a lot to your imagination. It lights the spark with the image, and the image takes on its own life in your mind. This is what I felt while reading Persepolis, where just with two shades, Marjane Satrapi gives us enough fodder to ruminate in the visual ... Read More
