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Summary: War and Oppression Through The Eyes of A Child
Review: Persepolis is the autobiography of Marjane Satrapi told in graphic novel form. It can most easily be described as a combination of of Maus and The Diary of Anne Frank. However, it is much more than that. It is a book that stands on its own with an account and lessons that are both unique and deeply personal. At its most basic level, Persepolis is a history of Iran. It begins with an introduction which recounts a brief history of Iran from its founding until the Islamic Revolution. The story of the Satrapi family then takes over. It reveals how a relatively progressive family must cope and change every aspect of their lives under an increasingly oppressive regime. This story is told from the eyes of a fiercely independent young girl. She must not only deal with the normal circumstances of growing from a child to an adult, but she also has to grow up dealing with Iran's Islamic Revolution and its war with Iraq. She must learn to deal with the imprisonment and "disappearance" of many people who she knows and knows of. She must also cope with having to hide the person she is since most of her interests and thoughts are illegal in her country. I read a review of this book several months ago and knew I just had to read it. It turned out to be much more than I ever thought it would be. Although it is an "easy read" and in comic book format, the emotions and thoughts of Satrapi and the people around her come through quite poignantly. I recommend this book for the story it tells and the emotions it conveys. I believe it will be enjoyable to people of many ages and backgrounds. I can't wait to read the sequel!
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Summary: Absolutely incredible...
Review: Satrapi's 'Persepolis' is an absolutely amazing read and one that was completely surprising and quite unassumingly wonderful. I honestly cannot recommend it enough and can't wait to read 'Persepolis 2.'
It is just such a rare, warm, brutally honest, humourous and heartbreaking work that is completely enlightening. It is a revolutionary use of comic genre, and completely dissimilar to anything I have previously encountered.
There is such tenderness between its pages, yet also such strength. I finished it tearful, partly because the incredible journey was over and partly because I felt grateful to have encountered something so unlike contemporary media. The illustrations are simple yet humourous and profound, much like the work as a whole.
There is not much else to say, except I wish I could start over again not having read it, and perhaps I shall try. I suggest that you too give this glorious work a chance.
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Summary: compelling story
Review: Satrapi's tale evokes a wide range of emotions from the reader. I was charmed by her excitement to get Western "contraband" smuggled into Iran that featured American popular music. At the same time, the tragic losses that are experienced by the oppressive government in Iran- losses of both individual freedoms and lives of those who dissent- remind one of the gravity of the situation that Satrapi grew up in.
The art is simple and black and white, which for me reinforced the perspective of our youthful heroine. Still, the images were adept at conveying emotion when they needed to; the rare use of large panels made the few that do appear seem very large and powerful.
The highest compliments I can pay "Persepolis" is that I would recommend it to friends who ordinarily do not read graphic novels, and that I could not put it down once I started it. A simple story in the best sense of the world- that anyone can identify with it and enjoy it.
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Summary: A surprisingly moving tale of a childhood in Iran
Review: This autobiographical graphic novel is a story of growing up in turbulent modern (1975-1983) Iran. This period had seen the communist movement, the overthrow of the Shah, the Islamic revolution, and the Iran-Iraq war. It corresponds to the author's age between 6 and 14. The author (born in 1969) looks back at this period with circumspect sensibility, and subdued emotions. The book gives life to a real human being -- a daunting task, given the prevalent one-dimensional prototyping of Iranians as terrorists and/or religious fanatics. Overall the illustrations were surprisingly expressive, and the storyline moving. I can't wait till I lay my hands on its sequel. The author is bound to grow up an intellectual.
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Summary: Iran through the eyes of innocence
Review: This autobiography of a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran is at times heart-wrenching, and at times heart-warming. Satrapi presents her memories growing up during the revolutionary Iran in comic-book form, uniquely illustrating the powerful emotions that she felt. Satrapi was only 9 years old when the revolution began, and she tells the powerful story of her family's life as revolutionaries before the Shah, welcoming his ouster. They soon become concerned, realizing that the revolution was not one of freedom, but a revolution of a different kind of totalitarianism. The story continues with the patriotic feelings of her family during the Iraq-Iran War, as her society struggles to survive. That patriotism soon gives way to anger and fear, as her own life is threatened by the fundamentalist regime, when the rebellious values her parents instilled in her lead her to disobey the decrees issued by the government. Her book stays away from sensationalism, focusing on its presentation through the eyes of a 9-year-old girl. The innocence that Satrapi communicates through her memories allows one to take a fresh look at the current situation in Iran.
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Summary: Finding humor even in the worst of times
Review: This book is the fastest read - it's comics, and who says comics can't be a literary form. I applaud Sartrapi for sharing her childhood in Iran with us. She projects humor, irony, hope, outrage, even a laissez-faire attitude at times. Sartrapi took what was a troubling time in Iran's history -- the Islamic Revolution -- and made it accessible. It's a also a great read in the context of today's troubling times.
Rating: 
Summary: The Emperor's New Clothes
Review: This is the case of the emperor's new clothes. Personal stories from the Middle East are comparatively few in the U.S. and as this one is in an "accessible" graphic novel form, everyone is gushing over it. However, the visual storytelling staggers forward and the primitive graphic style makes it hard to distinguish characters and to form a connection with them, especially the girls. If you want to read a compelling, heart-wrenching, as well as educational graphic novel about the Middle East, go to "Palestine" by Joe Sacco instead.
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