Iranian graphic novelist, Marjane Satrapi, recounts her childhood (roughly ages 6-14) growing up in Tehran in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. As a child, Satrapi witnessed the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, the subsequent Islamic Revolution, and the crippling war with Iraq. Raised by passionate Marxists in a precarious time, Satrapi's unique views of the world were shaped by her family and her environment. Nevertheless, she was a child and an adolescent girl who experienced all the things that girls do: friendships, nail polish, boyfriends, school, and -sometimes- being too mouthy for her own good.
In the follow-up, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, Satrapi recounts her life as a teenage student -alone and abroad- in Europe. While she was sent to Austria to escape the dangers of war-torn Iran under an intense and extreme regime, her world remained precarious. She navigated adolescence without the loving guidance of her parents, who had to stay in Iran, and trouble often ensued. Persepolis 2 brings Satrapi into adulthood, returning to Iran, then traveling abroad once again (this time to France).
It is hard to imagine a coming of age like the unique one experienced by Marjane Satrapi. Most of us have our own stories, but few of them involve the horrors she witnessed. Nevertheless, Satrapi tells her story with wit, the dark humor required to survive such trauma, and an amazing cohesion that ties all these seemingly unrelated life events into a continuous story.
As graphic novels, Persepolis and Persepolis 2 are rather "quick and easy reads", despite the weight of their contents. While my library categorizes them as Young Adult graphic novels, I would recommend they be reserved for more mature YA readers. Yes, a teenager could handle it, but they are heavy and, sometimes, quite graphic and/or violent.
Ultimately, these are intriguing reads by a very talented graphic novelist. Fascinating and informative, hilarious and heartbreaking, I would recommend them to anyone looking for a new perspective or world experience.
