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kajasversion's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Suicide attempt, War, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment
pacifickat's review against another edition
3.0
I don't always love young adult Marjane, even if her overall story is worth the time to read. (Her father, however, is an absolute gem.) I often perceive her as quite selfish, although she had to live alone in a foreign country starting at age 14 so her self-centeredness may be fueled by survival instict. There is one particularly disturbing scene
Furthermore, her family's relative wealth helps her get out of a lot of situations without physical harm, and she seems unaware of the privilege this is. Then she judges her friends and peers when they make choices to 'play it safe' rather than fighting the oppressive government, attending covert parties as a form of protest, or pushing back against gender norms and expectations. She doesn't seem to fully grasp how much others around her stand to lose if they hold on too hard to their idealism.
I also found the internalized sexism of the women the author portrayed to be really sad and disturbing. There are lots of scenes of women glaring at each other when one is receiving a man's attention seemingly out of jealousy or disapproval. Plus, Marjane's internal dialogue often calls other women names like 'fat cow' when she finds them interacting with a man she is interested in, or she doesn't like the same things they do. I found her pretty mean and catty much of the time. However, while she is a very flawed character, she still suffers as a victim of racism, mysogeny, abusive laws, and police brutality. Her plight and suffering should still matter to the reader. This type of representation is actually a bit refreshing to see, even if it is challenging or uncomfortable to spend time in that narrator's shoes.
These books have faced recent bans in the US, so even more reason to check them out in my opinion. I don't see any reason why Part 1 would be inappropriate for age 13+, and Part 2 for age 15+.
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, War, Mental illness, Police brutality, Death, Self harm, Racism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Rape
Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy
Pressure to become pregnant, pressure to conform to religious ideology, restrictions on freedom of thought, restrictions on bodily autonomy, false imprisonment, homelessness, internalized sexismtree_branch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Violence, Suicide attempt, Addiction, War, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
kaypringle's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexism and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Islamophobia, and Violence
ninahuynh's review against another edition
5.0
Read more in my blog: https://niansworld.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/persepolis-the-story-of-a-return-3-4-marjane-satrapi/
Graphic: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Sexual harassment
ashareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: War, Islamophobia, Drug use, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Torture, Violence, and Sexual harassment