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CM . . .
. Volume X Number 2. . . . September 19, 2003
excerpt: I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists. I also don't want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten. One can forgive but one should never forget. (From the "Introduction")
She describes what it was like, as the only daughter of Marxist intellectual parents, to be forced to wear the veil at all times in public. As her parents continued to demonstrate their political beliefs, Marji portrays the torture and purges meted out by the religious right on those who failed to follow fundamentalist law. After Marji, a rebellious and spirited child, speaks out in class, her parents, in an effort to keep her safe, decide to send her, at the age of 14, to Vienna. Originally published in France as a graphic novel in 2 volumes, the two parts have been translated into English by different translators. While there are some graphic depictions of torture and occasional use of expletives, they describe situations that are not out of the realm of possibility for many of the world's young people. The effective cartoon artwork illuminates the text and makes recent events in Iran's history more understandable and accessible. Persepolis is a moving account, not only of a young girl's coming of age but also of her survival in modern Iran and, like Art Spiegelman's Maus, will appeal to a wide audience. Highly Recommended. Jane Bridle is a Youth Services Librarian at the Winnipeg Public Library.
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Satrapi,
who is a descendant of Iran's last emperor, tells the story, in graphic
novel format, of growing up in Tehran from the age of 6 to 14. In
stark, minimalist black and white images, she recounts, from a child's
perspective, not only a brief history of Persia but the more recent
events including the exile of the Shaw, the revolution in 1978, the
cultural revolution which began in 1980, and the later war with Iraq.