I feel I learned more about the history of Iran through the eyes of a little girl who was practically forced to become an adult by the age of 14 than most textbooks. Marjane Satrapi, or "Marji" captured my attention, thanks to the successful marriage of her "crudely-drawn" panels and approachable narrative. While I have yet to read the sequel, I feel I know this individual on a personal level as the book fills us in on her deepest fears and hopes and conflicts.

Although this book is written like a comic book, don't take it lightly. The story is a deep and meaningful one. It is a pretty fast read but not as fast as you'd think...I highly recommend it!

This book was a very easy read. Unfortunately, the plot was a little too easy to follow, and certain parts have nothing to do with the rest of the book. The illustrations, however, have a quirky charm, and the story telling is sweet and entertaining.

Our local community college is using this book as a common book experience for all incoming freshmen. It's a good choice for three reasons: 1) the subject matter (a young girl's experiences in revolutionary Iran) is timely and meaningful for coming-of-age college freshmen trying "to find themselves" 2) the graphic novel format is immediately engaging and easy to digest, and 3) the protagonist's story lends itself to myriad thematic explorations. In all, I was interested in and satisfied with this book. In fact, I couldn't put it down--I read it in an hour and a half. Apparently, there's a movie, too. That's next on my list.

Authentic childhood story. The emotions ring true. Brings back to life the tragedy of a great civilization torn apart, first by the Shah, and then by the Islamic madmen.

I've never read a graphic novel until this book. I first learned about this book after reading the amazing reviews for the movie version of this book. I always make it a point to read the novel before seeing any movie so decided to pick this up. Having read quite a few fiction and history novels on post-WWII Iran(including Septembers of Shiraz recently), this was a topic that highly interests me.

Last night I started this book and couldn't put it down until I was done. It is a captivating and immersive experience and I just ordered "Persepolis 2" and can't wait to read it as soon as it arrives from amazon. I loved the simplicity of this novel. The dialogue and story telling perfectly captures an adolescent Marjane in Iran through the crumbling of Shah Reza Pahlavi's regime and the initial promise and subsequent reality of the Islamic revolution. Satrapi effortlessly captures all of the emotions that she undoubtedly went through during these times, both in word and in picture. While I was somewhat skeptical about the illustrations, they once again added an additional layer of context and dimension that took this from a great book to an extraordinary book.

If you've never thought of reading a graphic novel, do yourself a favor. Buy this book and enjoy -- it is a true treasure.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi are very well written novels that effectively describe the author's experiences while growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, as well as many other historical events. I really enjoyed reading Satrapi's childhood account of such dramatic events in Iranian history, and the comic book format made the memoirs even more enjoyable reads. The innocent and sometimes ignorant perspective of a child is a very positive way of broadcasting such terrible and negatively viewed events in a way that everyone can understand them. Satrapi definitely does an excellent job of enticing her audience while also giving them an accurate and perhaps new way of looking at history.
I would recommend Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return to anyone, whether they are students wanting to learn more about historical events in the Middle East, westerners who do not comprehend the many struggles Iran has faced, or just an average person looking for a dramatic yet accurate read. The historical events that are depicted within these graphic novels are very easily viewed in the eyes of such a mischievous and driven child, and her account is one that anyone can associate with and learn from. Despite the apprehensive atmosphere created by the mounted unsettlement of Marji and her family as well as the captivating and simple drawings that accompany the text, Marji is always able to demonstrate great strength within her family, and becomes fully aware of the perils of her country through trial and error, just as the reader does when they witness the overwhelmingly inspiring account of a little girl growing up during such a divisive point in history. After reading such a powerful message, one comes away with not only a greater view of historical events of the world, but also has a greater respect for all storytellers, no matter how much of a minority they may appear to be.

Please take the time to read this striking memoir and its sequel, Persepolis 2. The language is straightforward, as is the graphic style. Satrapi's very personal story speaks to both the difficulties of living in a straight-laced, dogmatically rigid society, and the many different stories and perspectives of those who live there. Iran is often portrayed in a reductionist manner in the West, and a close reading of these books serves to broaden and deepen our understanding.

Additionally, Satrapi is currently near the end of a speaking tour in the U.S. IF you have the opportunity to hear her speak, take advantage of it. She is a cogent and compassionate speaker who will further deepen your understanding of the Iranian people.

"Persepolis" is a great read. In less than two hours, you'll know more about Iranian history than you probably ever did. I, for one, felt positively ignorant as I learned of the Shah, the Islamic revolution, the Communist sympathizers... all told through the eyes of a teenage girl who thinks she is a prophet. The book is informative, fun, and an easy read. It will dispel many stereotypes without resorting to political correctness. I'm very glad I opted for the book over the movie version currently in theaters. I'm often bored by animation, but the graphic novel is interactive and the story flows nicely. Read it... you won't regret it.

I read Persepolis the day I arrived it from the PCC bookstore. I sat down with a cup of coffee, some French downtempo, and an open mind -- and proceeded to inhale the entire book , cover-to-cover, in a little over two hours. I reread it recently, and this time prefaced my reading with light research. I read the interview with Asia Source, took in a few literary reviews, and brushed up on the history of the ancient city of Persepolis, for which the novel is based. I tried to piece together the historical context of the book with the artistic process that inspired the author to write such heady material into a graphic novel.

Let me preface by saying I don't think heady material is too good for graphic novels. I've read a few of these in the last few years -- this and Blankets are notable. I find graphic novels take the best of literature and film, combining them for an eloquent, visually striking experience. The use of light and dark as metaphor is the most compelling, and Persepolis uses this often, and best. The stark, unforgiving illustrations appear at once so bleak and in an instant so bright. In one frame the thick black gashes are the dark bags beneath a dead demonstrators vacant eyes, and in the next frame are innocent and child-like, a squiggling and unsteady black line framing a young Marji's equally gleeful, cherub face.

Reading around I noticed this technique, both jarring and "immature", nearly turned off many a potential reader, and risked undermining the heady politics of the book. After reading Satrapi's interview with Asia Source, however, I understand its purpose: these thick swaths of black and white, with nary a shade of grey, are the same black and white rhetoric that shapes world politics and culture. The characters, sometimes barely more than a stick figure, are the caricatures politicians make of their foes. It's only in the subtle changes of facial expressions -- a widening of the eyes, a furrow of the brow -- that we can see some semblance of a human underneath, small but just as telling as the thought bubbles floating above their heads.

The goal to separate and explain "the people and the terrorist/fanatacist/fundamentalist" stereotype is completely, totally achieved within the first two frames of the novel, where we are ambushed by a row of somber-looking little girls draped in black veils, the symbol of oppression and woman-fearing almost universally despised in the West. With one quick glance we could almost assume these are one portrait of one girl repeated over and over, except for the little whisps of bangs peering from beneath each of the shrouds -- some side-swept, some parted down the center, some curly, some straight. Within seconds we are reminded: these are real people, not soundbytes or 3-second video clips looped over and over for the horrified bemusement of Americans.

Still, while Marji is shamelessly out to shatter the assumption that the Iran people or culture is fundamentalist or oppressive, she refuses to paint the people as shining examples of progressive open-minded goodness who have been unfairly categorized for the one or two freedom-hating fundamentalists. There is evidence of even the kindest, gentlest folk adhering to the more oppressive rules of the regime, but not out of a desire to oppress, but out of faith, tradition, and trust for those in power. Again, this is best exemplified only a few pages in, as we see an image of women demonstrating both for and against the veil. On one side the unveiled women stand erect and angular, eyes narrow yet full of furor, championing the freedom to literally let their hair down. Opposite, a row of veiled women "confront" them, their clenched fists slightly limp, their eyes closed and pious, little Madonnas suffering quietly our sins. The former look young and angry, the latter look almost ancient. They were likely a mixture of the two; there were just too many to tell.

In the current political context, these images are the most striking: little clumps of dogged beliefs squaring off against one another, rows of protesters hurling rocks at soldiers, soldiers aiming guns at protesters, massacred demonstrators lying in the streets, ghostly figures pushing the Shah out of frame and out of power, hordes celebrating the exile of the Shah. Seeing this story unfold through of eyes of a young girl is a very singular, educating, and transforming experience, but even riveting notions like war-from-a-child's-vantage need a kick in the goods, and sometimes the blur of faces could snap me back to the reality the first-person singular was beginning to lose. Images of individuals of many ages, classes, and backgrounds uniting, and eventually overthrowing, a centuries-old monarchy gives a sense of urgency, audacity, and realness to this revolution, which was all but excluded from every single history book I ever read throughout almost two decades of schooling. It made it seem as huge as it was, and is, in a way that neither textbooks nor one little girl can quite describe.

I've been waiting for a book like this to come out for years...something about a modern girl, growing up in Iran, exactly during this time, presented in a unique way. Persepolis is perfect! I love the fact that Satrapi presented her story as a graphic novel--genius! All of her characters, the names, the places, the stories of her family and neighbors and friends, the atrocities, everything reminded me of the same names and stories I grew up with here in the U.S., told to me by my Iranian father and grandmother. I felt like Marji was a relative of mine, and found myself in tears in several places in this book. I read it with my daughter, too, because I thought that it was a good way to introduce her to one aspect of her heritage. She loved it as much as I did! Neither one of us could put it down. I look forward to reading the second volume of her life in Austria.

This book is about a little girl named Marji during the Iranian Revolution (Against the Shah) and the Islamic Revolution ( Against the Islamic Republic). In this book it jumps between periods of time. It starts out after the Iranian Revolution then goes back to the Iranian Revolution. The book then continues staying in the actual order of events. Another thing that is great about Persepolis is how it is a graphic novel memoir.The illustrations really help you visualize the events and lower the reading time.
This book was great. Yet I wonder will I ever be able to understand what Marji went through.This book made me greatful for how we are not oppresed.

Persepolis truly humanized what has happened in Iran in the last few years for me. The young girl's tale is precocious and beautifully told by Satrapi. I have not seen the movie but look forward to it.

First, I want to point out that despite the ostensibly grim subject matter the author's sense of humor, at times insouciant and deliciously irreverent, shines through. This is not a book that will depress you. It educates while involving you intimately with the life of Marjane Satrapi and her entire family.

A second note: too many intellectual blowhards dismiss the graphic novel genre as "comics for kids." Yet ever since Art Spiegelman's Maus, we've seen the rise of a richly developed class of historical graphic novels. These works provide the same level of edification and sophistication as any good historical nonfiction book. It's like reading a diary with pictures. The format doesn't detract from the story. It enhances it.

At its most basic, Persepolis is the touching experience of a young girl growing up in Iran during the reign of the Shah and the turbulent aftermath of revolution and Islamic repression. This biography in graphic form is helpful for non-Iranians, and I daresay Americans in particular. I think many Americans (myself included) have a tendency to see their country as the beacon of democracy. Americans tend to act as though we are the only ones who have struggled so valiantly to achieve democratic equality. In contrast, Americans look at other countries struggling towards (but so far failing to achieve) these ideals as backward and superstitious. Persepolis shows a more nuanced reality. Instead of just viewing Iran as a dangerous and backward Islamic country, this memoir illustrates the country's historic battles for freedom and equality. Against the backdrop of imperialism and capitalism without a political voice, we see how Iran has evolved into what it is today. In other words, Persepolis reveals how Iran's current problems stem from more complex roots than simple "Islamofascism".

A final note - please, please, whatever you do, read the book before seeing the film. The book is far superior at developing the characters so you truly care about them. The film smashes both Persepolis I and II together, abbreviating events in such a way that poignant and fascinating encounters are lost.

The story of a young girl growing up in Iran in the 80s. "Forrest Gump" let me see history through a fresh innocent set of eyes and I found "Persepolis" much the same. No one should have to live in such an environment, much less a child, yet Satrapi has so much hope, so much fire and spirit in her. Such and enlightening and powerful story.

A must read for its humor and descriptive qualities. A corrective to be digested by warmongers and propagandists.

I was assigned this book in one of my college classes and i just enjoyed reading it. I really got into it that i decided to purchase the second one. I would recommend this to anyone.

Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is all that a graphic novel should be. Over the two-day period it took me to read this I felt as if I lived another life. It made me feel completely and totally removed from my present state and circumstances. Which is exactly what a graphic novel is suppose to do. It will make you feel. Part comedy and part tragedy, sometimes it'll make you feel optimistic, sometimes it'll make you sad or angry. Persepolis is a read as exhilarating as Art Spiegelmann's Maus. You won't want to put this one down. I highly recommended it.

So let me tell you about this amazing book called Persepolis. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss your ignorance of the Iranian Islamic revolution on a personal level goodbye.

Number one. I found it relatable, being born in the same year as the author. I was alive in America when jean jackets, Nikes, and Michael Jackson buttons were very cool to have, not to mention Iron Maiden posters. And what makes the story so personal is how very much like me she is, yet she grew up on the other side of the world and lived through the middle of a terrifying revolution.

The story is terrifying. Her and her family waiting for the Iraqi scud missiles to drop knowing there was no sense waiting in the basement because they would die if a scud hit their home.

It was funny. Early in the story the author's convinced she is a prophet and has numerous discussions with God. Then later when her uncle is killed God tries to talk to her again and she wants nothing to do with Him and tells him to go away.

The emotions of the characters are so endearing, young girls wearing their veils with varying degrees of confusion, emotions of fear at every turn. The media of cartoon narration combined with her minimalistic style is perfect for communicating the absurdities and tradegies of her experience as told from her young yet very sharp mind. Her form has the ability to communicate the horror and absurdity of public beating, torture and severing limbs from the vantage point of a 9-14 year old girl. The form communicates the humorous nature of her emotions as she becomes smitten with her uncle because unlike her father the uncle had been imprisoned. And, it communicates the intelligence of this kid in how she recognizes that a trip wasn't a trip but jail and that her mother was lying to her when she said her uncle's wife sent for him because she knew the wife didn't love him.

And in the story she communicates so much of the tragedy, such as children used in war, the loss of a million people because the revolution need the war with Iraq to continue to stay in power. Tragedies range from her leaving her parents at 14 to the bombing of her neighbors and friend after she had become close to them.

It's wonderful that she could tell this story. I can imagine it's been very therapeutic for her. I couldn't imagine carrying all these things around with her amongst people who don't seem to have experience nearly this level of tragedy. It puts my life into perspective. My problems really don't seem so bad.

Marjane Satrapi was a headstrong, privileged Iranian pre-teen in the 1970s when the Shah was deposed and Islamic rule came to Iran. Her story, told in stark black-and-white graphic images, is told here. Satrapi captures the cocky fervor of her youth as well as her fervent, sometimes-misplaced idealism. When the Iran/Iraq war brings enemy bombers to Tehran, she is as bloodthirsty as anyone about revenge -- when she isn't terrified of losing her parents. But mostly, the tale is about her adolescent attempts to subvert the increasingly repressive religious extremists who took over the country in the time of the Ayatollahs. Her secular family tried as much as possible to continue their western lifestyle, with dance parties and smuggled rock posters. But they lived always under the prying eyes of neighbors who were more than willing to denounce state enemies to the regime. The story ends with the family feeling Iran for the West.

"Persepolis" is part history lesson, part introduction to the Iranian perspective, and part memoir of a girlhood lived under frightful circumstances. The book is a quick read but imparts an enormous amount of information in its inked panels. I'm looking forward to picking up Persepolis II to see how things turned out for her and her family.

This book traces the life of young girl growing up in turbulent times in Iran, beginning with life under the Shah, moving on to the revolution and continuing through the Iran / Iraq war. The girl narrates anecdotes from her own life that provide a thought-provoking window onto the way these events affected ordinary individuals. The choice of a comic strip to portray events of such significance and tragedy has some disadvantages, one being the limits it places on the possibilities of characterization. On the other hand, there are also numerous advantages. The illustrations can at times be quite powerful, the simplicity of the format is used effectively to highlight the stark brutality and poignancy of the events portrayed, and perhaps above all, the graphic novel format makes a story with such important themes accessible to people of all ages.

Ever Wondered what it was like to grow up as a child in Iran? In the book Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi wrote about the difficulties and anxiety she has growing up in Iran. I am going to talk about her being young in her childhood, reading books for her imagination, and her late teenage years. Marjane is confused about having to do things she would not like to do such as why she had to wear a veil. She was also confused what is going on with the war in Iran and the Shah. Furthermore, life is hard everywhere especially when there is war.
In the beginning of the book, Marjane is ten years old and living in Iran. Marjane and other students had to wear veils as part of the laws in Iran at school. Marjane Stated, "We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to" (3). Marjane and her classmates acted like normal children do when they did not understand what was going on and made fun of wearing the veil. When a person is a child like Marjane, it is hard to have to follow rules like she did while she was in school. Being a younger child, Marjane wanted to be a prophet she loved God very much and believed in him. Other classmates thought she was crazy. One of Marjane's teachers asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Marjane Replied, "I'll be a prophet" (8). The children laughed at her. Furthermore, Marjane had difficulty understanding why she had to do things just like any child would have.
Marjane read a lot of books. She wrote, "to enlighten me they bought books" (12). While she read books she began to understand more of what was going on in Iran. For Marjane Reading was like playing outside, since she could not very much at that time. Reading books brings out Marjane's imagination; for example she wrote, "Despite everything, god came to see me from time to time. So you don't want to be a prophet anymore", God asked. "Let's talk about something else." Marjane Replied, God said "You think I look like Marx?" She replied, "I told you to talk about something else" (13). With her imagination, she thought she was really talking to God and he was replying back to her. Reading brought out Marjane's Imagination because, that was her escape from the world. Marjane did a really good job on describing her childhood and with the illustrations a person can imagine everything that was happening. Furthermore, books were a life saver for Marjane, that was her only way to be like a normal child.
As Marjane got older, she was willing to fight for what she believed in. When another child's father killed lots of people she wanted to show that kid a lesson, she stated, "In the name of the dead, million, we'll teach Ramin a good lesson. I have an idea" "My idea was to put nails between our fingers like American brass knuckles and to attack Ramin" (45). Marjane started to get more rebellious and even started up smoking. She even got expelled from school. As she was getting older the war was getting worse. In conclusion, life was not easy as growing up in Iran but she persevered and kept going.
Persepolis was an amazing story of Marjane's life. Marjane intended to show people that her childhood was not easy there was a lot of things going on with the War and the Shah. She also conveyed, that she was not perfect but she got through it. A reader can imagine what is going on with the illustrations. I believe she did a excellent job on illustrating exactly how she is feeling. I recommend this book to any reader interested in growing up in Iran.

Works Cited : Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. United States: Pantheon Books, 2003.

Set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, Persepolis tells the autobiographical tale of young Marji (Marjane Satrapi) in the unusual form of a graphic novel. The simple yet uniquely stylistic art has an appeal all its own, and the story is at once affecting, infuriating, and irreverently humorous, revealing the human side of Iran rarely glimpsed by most Westerners. Through Marji's eyes, readers gain the unique perspective of a child caught up in her country's sudden upheaval. At first, she is absorbed in the excitement of the largely Marxist revolution, staging spirited "protests" in her parents' yard. Her elation at the revolution's success, however, turns into horrified consternation as Iran is overtaken by religious fundamentalists who imprison a beloved uncle and drill Marji and her classmates in daily school-wide funeral rites in honor of the rising numbers of war martyrs. Things are worse for the denizens of the poorer neighborhoods; the 14-year-old son of the family's maid is given a plastic key at school, which he is told will get him into paradise if he is "lucky enough to die" on the battlefield. In spite of the surreal crescendo of tragedy that surrounds her and the repressive atmosphere that weighs upon her, Marji maintains an impertinent sense of humor. When the dour schoolmarm lectures her on the importance of covering women's hair in order to discourage immoral behavior, Marji retorts "If hair is as stimulating as you say, then you need to shave your mustache!"

Persepolis is an appealing, engrossing novel that presents a painful history and the irrevocable, spirited humanity of those who endured it. It provides a valuable counterpoint to the one-dimensional portrayal of Iran and its people that fill Western media.

An autobiographical account of a girl growing up in Iran. Through her own story she highlights how deeply screwed up the country is, and has become, and how ludicrous some of the religious laws and commands are, when you see them through the eyes of a child. Wear something on your head? It is too hot, stupid! That sort of thing.

She is not holding back, talking about how people feel when their 18 year old next door neighbour is executed as being a communist, after a leftist lead revolution allows them to take power, or when your uncle's sister is strangled to death because he was not home to kill, and things like that.

She points out other crazy things that we probably are not aware of, you can't have chess sets, in Persia? That is very freaky.

The art style is quite cartoony, which is somewhat jarring when she is talking about firing squads.

Definitely good.

Amazing graphic novel about the author's childhood in revolutionary-era Iran. I learned a lot about this time and place. I also enjoyed her artwork with its heavy black lines and highly graphic style. The sequel is also very good.

Like "Maus" and the story of the Holocaust, Persepolis brings the sad story of the Iranian Revolution to light in a way only a well-done graphic novel can do. It is an absolutely brilliant book that gives you the raw pain and emotion of the Revolution, with all the necessary facts and events, without the dry and verbose nature of many historical novels. Rarely can it be done, in pictures, like it is done here.

If you truly want to know the sad story of the Iranian Revolution from the perspective of an average Iranian family, this is the book for you. Please read it.

'Persepolis' was my first graphic novel (or, in this case, graphic autobiography) experience. It is the childhood story of Marjane Satrapi, who was a young girl of liberal parents during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the 1980s.

Satrapi's drawings are simple yet poignant, and reading about her experiences and culture so foreign to me was at the same time both fascinating and dismaying. I hope to read more of her works.

Marjane Satrapi has written a fine addition to a growing body of graphic novels that really portray the absurdities and immense dangers of life in a repressive regime. Satrapi's work easily joins other strong works such as "Maus" by Spiegelman and "Pyongyang" by Delisle.



Satrapi's is, of course, unique. Hers is the story of living under two different repressive regimes and watching a revolution become perverted (although one could wonder if her parents really understood the Iranian Revolution at all since they seemed to think it was a Communist one for quite a long while). The simple illustrations help to emphasize the de-indvidualization that came with the Islamic revolution - all of the women and girls look the same thanks to clothing and the men look the same due to beards.



If you are at all interested in current events in the Middle East or even interested in basic human rights issues) than I recommend you check out this book.



I give this one a grade of "A"

I read Persepolis because my brother recommended it. This gives a wonderful perspective on how the "Regressive Revolution" in Iran affected people, especially young children. Anther reason that I highly recommend ordering this item is that it gives a wonderful, easy to learn (brief) history of Iran. It sparked my interest in the middle east and, considering that these modern times seem to mean more and more concern will be focused in the area, it's good to know a little bit about the countries. Buy it. Read it. Love it.

Edit:
Persepolis takes place from the view of Marjane Satrapi. She lives with her parents and grandmother. The book shows how the Revolution effected the daily lives of people and changed the community and nation. The novel also teachers the reader about Iranian religion and history in an easy to understand manner.

I read Persepolis because my brother recommended it. This gives a wonderful perspective on how the "Regressive Revolution" in Iran affected people, especially young children. Anther reason that I highly recommend ordering this item is that it gives a wonderful, easy to learn (brief) history of Iran. It sparked my interest in the middle east and, considering that these modern times seem to mean more and more concern will be focused in the area, it's good to know a little bit about the countries. Buy it. Read it. Love it.

I had to read this for my Perspectives on Youth Cultures class and I was intrigued because it was the first graphic novel I have ever read. Well, I finished it in one setting! The book is wonderful. It's fresh and being that it's from a child's persepctive she just "tells it like it is". The graphics are relevant and very effective at adding depth, meaning, and really illustrating what's going on during this time in Iran.
For me, this book was an excellent tool for developing a better understaning of the Iranian Revolution. Some may say "Oh it's only one person's persepctive so it can't represent Iran and Iran is not really like that". In response, everyone's perspective is just that "their" perspective. The author writes in such a way that is first-hand knowledge and so "straight up" that she is a credible source in my eyes. I just purchased persepolis 2 and cannot wait to begin reading it!

comic book-style storytelling. batman, superman, and whoever else have NOTHING on this, because this account is REAL, and i'm only sorry it ever had to end. i read this book in one night. and i wanted, and NEEDED more. but it's not until 2 years later that i bought the 2nd volume, as well as "embroideries." each one succeeds at conveying aspects of the Iranian culture, as well as telling Marji's experience in her native Iran as well as abroad. so read them, except don't wait as long as i did to read them in their entirety. better yet; buy them all at once and read them all at once. plop yourself down one free evening... and you'll be done by sunrise, i can almost guarantee it.
be prepared for various emotions, for you are bound to encounter them all!

Ms. Satrapi was about eight years old when the Islamic revolutionaries took over the government in 1979 in her native country of Iran (she now lives in Paris). In these books (Persepolis and Persepolis 2 - Persepolis is an ancient name for Iran) she tells the story of the revolution as she saw it -- her Communist parents were highly involved in anti-Shah protests -- and what happened afterwards. When she was 14, the situation had become so dangerous in Tehran, her home, that her parents sent her to Vienna, thinking she'd be under the care of a close friend of the mother's who had emigrated earlier. The friend instead dumped Marjean, who spoke only Iranian/Arabic/Persian and French, at a Catholic boarding house, from which she was soon evicted.

Satrapi eventually took up with a group of friends who had similar breaks in their families and eventually entered the artistic/bohemian world, always with a strong interest in politics born by the events she witnessed in her childhood.

There is so much of interest in these two volumes -- which are in the new, fashionable, comic-book format -- I hardly know where to begin. They definitely provide information about Iran that never reached the US. For example, there is no mention of the US diplomats who were taken hostage -- as I recall, the news led us to believe the Iranian people were obsessed with them. Instead she tells a story of how "the new boss is the same as the old boss" - to the point that the revolutionaries' chief torturer is the same man who held that position under the Shah. Nor is there even a mention of the Ayatollah Khomeni.

At the same time we see the intense meaning that family has for the Iranian people. Overall, the books are revelations and quick reads, set in chapter/short-story format. As for the comic-book format, Satrapi is a terrific illustrator and some of her drawings convey her feelings more powerfully than any words could.

This is a work of genius. In a series of strung together episodes, this graphic piece constitutes a sort of autobiography of growing up Iranian. The author/artist was born in 1969. Following the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War she was sent by her parents to school in Austria. In Iran for at least part of the time she attended a French school.

The account of an Iranian upbringing is political and funny. Childhood and young adulthood consisted of the the usual fascination with clothes and fads and with the absurd stances of significant adults. Iranian tragedy is made palatable to the prospective reader by the use of the graphic format.

This is a work of genius. In a series of strung together episodes, this graphic piece constitutes a sort of autobiography of growing up Iranian. The author/artist was born in 1969. Following the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War she was sent by her parents to school in Austria. In Iran for at least part of the time she attended a French school.

The account of an Iranian upbringing is political and funny. Childhood and young adulthood consisted of the the usual fascination with clothes and fads and with the absurd stances of significant adults. Iranian tragedy is made palatable to the prospective reader by the use of the graphic format.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is the story of a young girl, the author, from ages 6-14 as she grows up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the early 1980s. Marjane's parents are progressive and attend protests as well as support their Communist friends and family members in their struggles to be free. The story is told in black and white simple drawings that somehow manage to capture Marjane's innocence as well as the tragedy and violence of her country's upheaval. The book, almost a collection of vignettes reads beautifully as a child's memories. We only get pieces of stories without always her complete understanding and the story jumps occasionally, but still flows smoothly. Marjane goes through complete confusion as to what is going on through supporting her parents to disbelieving her parents to rebellion against her parents and the world, all of this against a background of riots and oppression. She and her schoolmates are forced to wear veils and beat their chests daily in memory of those lost in the war against Iraq. Marjane loses family and friends in the war in ways that strip her of her innocence and ultimately her own parents. The last frame is devastating. Before reading this graphic novel, when I thought of Iran, I pictured the Shah, Ayatollah Khomeni, and President Ahmadinejad, but this story shows the country through the eyes of a young girl who loved her home and aches for its demise into something unrecognizable. While written several years ago, it has become extremely timely with the events in the news today. There is some light profanity, but nothing worse than any PG-13 movie. This should be required reading in high school Civics classes.

A memoir unlike any other I've ever read, Satrapi's story comes across in the pages of a vividly crafted graphic novel, another form of writing I have only recently discovered. The black and white images of Satrapi's early childhood emphasize her feeling of entrapment under an oppressive Islamic regime. Forced to shed all traces of individuality and Western culture, Satrapi finds that even her outspoken, activist parents can't save her from the fate of their country and the reality of her departure to Austria. Harrowing images of destruction and death, mixed with uplifting and humorous interludes of happiness and hope, mark this unique graphic novel. Confined by prescribed gender roles and expectations of social class in Iran, "Persepolis" reminds me of other narratives like Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" and Azar Nafisi's "Lolita in Tehran" that shed light on the experiences of young people growing up in the face of fundamentalism and extremist mentalities.
Yet unlike these stories, Satrapi's autobiographical text seems more powerful in the way it's presented to readers in the graphic novel!

This is probably the first graphic novel i have read in my life...well i did read something we use to call "comics" but i think this has a bit different style. Given that I myself not being persian, but i know plenty of persians..i can't believe how similar it can be...it seems like i am seeing some of my friend's life in there..

Man, was I disappointed. This book is a comic strip. It may have had a lot of meaning, to those involved at the time it was written, with many government stings hidden in the strip, but for enjoyable reading, it stunk. I got through it in half an hour, hardly my idea of buying good reading.

Readers of the graphic novel "Maus" will find themselves in familiar territory with volume I of Marjane Satrapi's autobiography. Here a tumultuous and violent period of recent political history is told with both horror and humor. And told from a child's point of view, it is deeply personalized, so that we see both the broad outline of a revolution and a war, and their impact on the lives of individual people. Meanwhile, there is the business of growing up, which takes place no matter what happens, and our young heroine demonstrates all the trials and tribulations of becoming a teenager in the midst of a world that is being turned upside down.

While the book is a quick read - and suitable for readers young and old - there is much in it to ponder long afterward. For those who know little of what life has been like for Iranians living in the Islamic Republic, especially during the 1980s, the years of Khomeini and the war with Iraq, this book will begin to fill in some gaps in history, particularly as an understanding of Iran becomes increasingly important today. Also recommended: Roya Hakakian's "Journey From the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran."

it was written in one of the best way to show the means to every body.

I ordered six copies of this book after I tested it on my class of students learning English as a Second Language (ESL). It has been particularly effective, with the cartoons aiding understanding of the text and helping the students (adults from 11 countries) get past the sometimes difficult vocabulary. They enjoy working with a text for adults rather than some of the pablum that is used in ESL classes. The only shortcoming occurs when some of Satrapi's sarcasm and irony escapes them, but that can be remedied with classroom discussions, which are themselves a great ESL tool. I definitely plan to use Book 2 when we finish Book 1.
Barth, Port Washington, NY

Persepolis is a brilliant book. It is almost impossible to keep your eyes off of the book once you start reading it. The simple but bold drawings definitely add to the mood Marjane tried to create. I recommend Persepolis 1 and 2, Chicken and Plums and Embroideries to anyone who appreciates a creative approach to story telling. The only problem I can see with Marjane Satrapi's books is that there is an end to each book while you wish it could go on and on forever.

I very much enjoyed reading this graphic novel. It is surprisingly witty and more introspective then I expected. The book is about the author's chilhood in Iran and covers her pre-teen years. The book reminds you that although we all have our perceptions, the fundamentalism we see on TV represents the views and actions of only a small portion of the population. Among the rest are people just like the rest of us who are very educated and just want the freedoms Americans or other parts of the world exercise.

Persepolis give a look into that secret life and how those people live side by side with their oppressors. I don't think the author intends the book to be a resource in culture as much as a place to spark interest. The book is actually more of a coming of age story. Where the main character at a young age finds herself questioning her own values and beliefs, torn between ideals that are pressed upon her by her culture and ideals that she is luckily encouraged by her parents to develop on her own. The book is very well done and I would definently recommend it to anyone.

Also it's a very quick read so if you happen to not like it, you won't have spent too much time.

I never found Persepolis to be anything more than a
curiosity. For me, the unrealistic artwork prevented any
emotional reaction whatsoever to the material. This is definitely not because the book is a graphic novel. I learned to read by devouring Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc. But for me, non-fiction requires realistic artwork to be effective.

I found my reading experiences of the two volumes to be
mirror images of each other -- in volume one, my
curiosity as to what happened next increased with each
story, whereas in volume two each story was less
interesting than the one that came before. I found
the stories after Marjane returned to Iran to be
banal, even trite. It was a struggle to finish.

The only thing I came away with from these volumes is that
Marjane's family and circle of friends are very westernized. Is
that reflective of the country as a whole? Who knows.
But the narrowness of the book's focus -- and I know
it was a memoir and memoirs are very personal and
therefore very narrow -- made for a very claustrophic
reading experience. I learned a fair amount about
Marjane Satrapi, but I'm not sure I learned anything
significant about Iran.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi, is a comic book style ("illustrated novel") autobiography of memories of life as a child in Iran just before and after the overthrow of the Shah (roughly 1978-82), and during the war with Iraq. Her parents are well-educated, seemingly progressive, and, through the eyes of a child, heroic.

Life changes. She experiences the mandatory use of the veil, stricter schools, hiding activities from nosy neighbors, and the phrase "...on a trip" as a code for death in war or by execution. Children play games of torturer and torturee. Satrapi reveals her evolution as a child rebel, albeit a selfish one focusing on the narrow-mindedness of youth... rebellion is wearing a Michael Jackson button and tight jeans in public. However, reality gets closer and closer... a favorite uncle is imprisoned and executed, a friend is killed in an Iraqi bomb attack, food is scare, and teachers are more draconian.

This book took about an hour to read. There is good congruence between the script and the drawings, but the style of presentation as an illustrated novel means there is no depth to the story. Perhaps the following book, Persepolis 2, will provide more.

I never thought that a "comic book" would have so much heart felt information. My Israeli friend suggested I read this book as it had touched her with its depth of heartfelt storytelling. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who had any interest in life in Iran after the religious clergy took over and for those who are looking for a point of view of the Middle East that doesn't hit you over the head. A special book in this time of war, nukes and hate.

I loved this book for many of the same reasons other reviewers did. As others mention, there's a lot in this book that's unique: the freshness and the perfect fit of the comic book style to the content, the heroine's pluck and total believability, and the author's success in portraying both the "good and the bad" of growing up in post-revolution Iran with amazing lack of preachiness, or heavy-handedness (she lets the story speak, and lets us judge accordingly). True such an accomplishment can be viewed in numerous other first hand accounts of foreign cultures. But Satrapi truly stands out as a genius in this genre. When I am taken on a voyage along with a girl (or boy)into the heart of a "different" culture by an author as skilled as Satrapi, a series of transformations take place in me, that lead to my acute awareness of that well-kept secret in this world of ours that I too always seem to forget--that what is common among humans (which includes most of what is in our hearts) completely transcends time and place. I see yet again how ephemeral this insight is, and how easy it is to fall prey to the thousand-fold repeated LIE: "we are different from others, and we must believe the self-appointed authorities on HOW we are different". This book once again shows me the light--and this time, with the help of Satrapi's story, so lightly yet so compellingly delivered, I have more faith that this truth will stay with me. And I hope that its magic will do the same for all its readers.

I loved this book for many of the same reasons other reviewers did. As others mention, there's a lot in this book that's unique: the freshness and the perfect fit of the comic book style to the content, the heroine's pluck and total believability, and the author's success in portraying both the "good and the bad" of growing up in post-revolution Iran with amazing lack of preachiness, or heavy-handedness (she lets the story speak, and lets us judge accordingly). True such an accomplishment can be viewed in numerous other first hand accounts of foreign cultures. But Satrapi truly stands out as a genius in this genre. When I am taken on a voyage along with a girl (or boy)into the heart of a "different" culture by an author as skilled as Satrapi, a series of transformations take place in me, that lead to my acute awareness of that well-kept secret in this world of ours that I too always seem to forget--that what is common among humans completely transcends time and place. I see yet again how ephemeral this insight is, and how easy it is to fall prey to the thousand-fold repeated LIE: "we are different from others, and we must believe the self-appointed authorities on HOW we are different". This book once again shows me the light--and this time, with the help of Satrapi's story, so lightly yet so compellingly delivered, I have more faith that this truth will stay with me. And I hope that its magic will do the same for all its readers.

"Persepolis" is a powerful novel because it shows the beauty and strength of a culture that is very different from ours. The Persian history and way of life became very relevant to me as I saw them through the eyes of a teenage girl. Being an adolescent student myself, I understand some of the struggles Marjane went through. I also see how culture can shape the minds and hearts of people around the world.

All in all it was a worthwhile graphic novel, and I am glad to have read about a small slice of the wonderful culture of Iran.