The Complete Persepolis | Marjane Satrapi | A Phenomenon In More Ways Than One

The Complete Persepolis | Marjane Satrapi | Freedom has a price.

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The Complete Perse...

	The Complete Persepolis Marjane Satrapi Pantheon, 2007 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 36 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Phenomenon In More Ways Than One

As a child Marjane Satrapi lived through the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its aftermath.

Included here are Satrapi's internationally-acclaimed graphic novels, PERSEPOLIS: The STORY Of A CHILDHOOD and PERSEPOLIS 2: The STORY Of A RETURN. Combining clear analysis with a sharp sense of humor, the first volume tells the story of Marjane and her family's experiences during the final years of the Monarchy, its downfall, and the subsequent rise of Khomeini and the Islamic Republic. A more personal volume, PERSEPOLIS 2 follows Marjane's student years in Vienna and her later return to Iran.

Together with Vincent Paronnaud, Satrapi also co-wrote and co-directed the animated film version.

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Freedom has a price.

This book collects Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. Both books are graphic novels telling the true story of the author's life. Book one tells the story of her girlhood in Iran and ends when she leaves Iran to go to a boarding school in Austria. Book two picks up where book one left off, and tells the rest of her story up to the point where she leaves Iran for the second and last time. This is a great, moving story. I found myself empathizing with this girl, even though she comes from a culture nothing like mine and we have nothing in common. It obviously wasn't easy growing up a progressive girl in a represive culture. I could go on and on about the virtues of this book, but it's better if you just read it and find out for yourself. Or see the "major motion picture". (aren't all motion pictures "major"? at least according to their publicity.)

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A Beautifully-Executed Memoir.

"Persepolis" is a unique trip into the past by Marjane Satrapi, who uses the graphic novel approach to give us a rich narrative full of happiness, heartbreak, suspense and wicked comedy. These are her illustrated memories of her childhood in Iran during the brutal reign of the Shah and then her and her family's experiences during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and afterwards as fundementalists come to power and Satrapi's world changes forever. Like the best memoirs Satrapi's are strikingly honest and objective. This is neither a protest against Iran's system or an endorsement, it is the record of a woman's life during important historical events and how these events individually affect people, lives and personal histories. With beautiful, comic illustrations Satrapi brings her family's fascinating story to life, we see her grow-up with educated, Leftist parents who raise her knowing about the PLO, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Iran's own martyrs. They despise the U.S.-backed, or better put, the U.S.-INSTALLED regime of the Shah and passionately take to the streets to protest the Monarch. Marjane watches all this with wonderous curiosity as she imagines Marx and God debating. When the Shah falls there is cheering in the streets, but soon the country finds itself divided as the Islamic Republic is born and friends, families and loved ones are torn apart by the new way of life and a brutal war with Iraq. Satrapi chronicles all this and more, including her early years as an exile in Europe with a sharp eye for details big and small, with great humor and a style that makes this a universal story. Many of us will find ourselves relating to so much of what Marjane goes through, the way she explores her inner thoughts, worries and moments of joy is impressive because of the heart and psychological depth she displays. This edition of "Persepolis," where parts 1 and 2 are combined due to the upcoming release of the motion picture edition should be the definitive edition for readers to purchase. Once you start reading you get hooked, and there's no sense in having to look for part two when you can have the complete story here. "Persepolis" is one of the best recent memoirs about those who experienced the Islamic Revolution, and one of the best memoirs in general. Satrapi's book is also a cultural gem, because in our tense times it is important to read the stories that display the humanity of "the other side." Satrapi does not condone much of what the Islamic regime did in the years immediately following the revolution, but she also makes a point of why the revolution happened. She doesn't shy away from showing how friends of her family were tortured by the Shah's secret police, the Savak or from the fact that the Savak were trained by the CIA. In her introduction Satrapi clearly mentions that in 1953 the CIA overthrew Iran's Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadeq, because he planned to nationalize the country's oil, and installed the Shah as supreme leader. Satrapi shows an impressive, objective look at history, something we need now more than ever when talking about the Middle East. "Persepolis" is a masterpiece, a grand effort that deserves to be read more than once.

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Complete Persepolis

Amazingly insightful into Persian culture and the difference between the common people and the mullah elite. Satrapi is very frank, and I found myself relating to her suffering and admiring her integrity. This book was intriguing from start to finish, partially because of its comic book form. I think this would be a good book for a teenager to read to understand what life would be like in the U.S. without our personal freedoms.

excellent