Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Title: Persepolis
Author: Marjane Satrapi
ISBN: 9780375714832
Publisher: Pantheon/2004
Pages: 341/Trade Paperback
Genre: Memoir

I had heard so much about it in the blog world so I was elated when I won a copy of The Complete Persepolis from a giveaway by Thinking About...

How does one describe a graphic novel which is autobiographical? Marjane Satrapi gives us a true account about how is life in the period when Iran is going through Islamic revolution. Her parents are liberal Marxists. But the outer world is completely different. She is expected to dress and behave in a certain manner which is appropriate for Islamic way of life. She is confused about a life which is not open even to her. It is told by her from the age of 6.

She does it with wit and humour. She makes it all come alive for us. Although written with wit, we can sense the turmoil within her mind. She comes of age but for that she has to undergo certain hardships. Her parents make sacrifices so that she can get a better life. In a life filled with war, destructions and repressions, she comes into her own. Despite hardships, she does not lose that thread of sanity and comes out of it.

Living in Iran was not easy even for Iranians. That is what she tells us here. Her parents send her to Austria for her get a better education. For a while she is serious about that but she statrs taking drugs and one day is found unconscious on the streets. After that she gets back to Iran to be with her parents again. Marjane is not afraid to speak her mind. She is very outspoken and fearless.

This a powerful memoir although told with humour. Graphics are sharp and without clutter. The black and white enhances the impact. A must read or everyone. To learn about a world we know nothing about.