Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Title: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Author:  Marjane Satrapi, Mattias Ripa (Translator)
Series: Persepolis #1
Pages: 153 (paperback)
Published: June 2004 by Pantheon
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Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by this book in how funny it actually turned out to be. You would think that an autobiographical account of one woman's childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution would be all sadness and heaviness, but it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, it still had plenty of gravity, however I found myself laughing and smiling along with Marjane Satrapi's younger self when she would do something that all teenagers do, like for example listen to rock music that her parents didn't really understand or try to dress cool like Michael Jackson.

I learned a lot by reading this graphic novel and it gave me a better understanding of what happened in Iran during that time. It also gave me a hunger for more understanding of day to day life in similar situations that have happened or are happening all around the world, and I can't wait to read the follow up book to this one!

If you liked Maus by Art Spiegelman, then you will enjoy this graphic novel as well. Happy reading by fellow book borrowers! And let me know if you've read this awesome graphic novel or one similar to it, because I'd love to get more into the non-fiction graphic novel game!
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars