Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Perzepolis

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Perzepolis by Marjane Satrapi

10 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

Content Warnings

aceofcryptids's review against another edition

5.0

challenging reflective fast-paced

This was a very good book and it made me feel a lot of things. Definitely worth the read.

Content Warnings

m560's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

The Complete Persepolis is a coming of age, non-fiction graphic memoir by Marjan Satrapi. It spans a period of time from the late 1970s to early 1990s taking mostly place in war torn Tehran, Iran.

This was a very interesting read. I learnt a lot about the history of the country known as Iran, and about its people's small and big acts of resistance when faced with a restrictive, religious regime. I found it especially interesting that we truly see Satrapi's memories through the eyes of her childhood self. A self that doesn't always know what is going on exactly. Though her parents did a lot to educate her on these issues, her perception is limited by her age.

"The more time passed, the more I became conscious of the contrast between the official representation of my country and the real life of the people, the one that went on behind the walls."

I appreciate Satrapi being very honest about her life, memories, and personality, and not falling into the trap of rose-coloured glasses and inspiration porn. She openly shares her shortcomings and turning points in her life where she was confronted with the darker sides of herself, and took action to address those. However I did find her personality to be abrasive at times, especially when it comes to her expressions of fatphobia throughout this graphic novel.

A highlight of this story is the heartwarming relationship between Satrapi and her parents and grandmother. You can feel the genuine care this family has for one other. They do their best to listen to and understand each other, and Satrapi's grandmother has a lot of wisdom to share.

"In life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's because they're stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance... Always keep yoir dignity and be true to yourself."

Satrapi illustrates her story in a striking black and white art style. It is a relatively simple and unadorned style, but nonetheless she manages to capture a surprisingly wide range of emotions and subjects.

While I enjoyed most of the individual vignettes, I found the first half of this collection to be the most focused. Possibly this reflects Satrapi's state of mind and the relative stability and sense of innocence in her life at that time. The later memories feel a bit more fragmented and less cohesive. I especially felt the ending was quite sudden.

"In spite of all the dangers, the parties went on. 'Without them it wouldn't be psychologically bearable,' some said. 'Without parties, we might as well just bury ourselves now,' added the others."

One of the most interesting elements of The Complete Persepolis is Satrapi's relationship to God. We see how this has formed a red thread throughout her life and I would have liked to see further exploration of this aspect.

Overall this book was an interesting and enlightening read. I would recommend this to anyone who can tolerate the extensive list of trigger warnings. Satrapi captures concepts that are sadly still very important in this day and age.

"When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us."

TW: war, mutilation, torture, physical abuse, emotional abuse, arrest, imprisonment, murder, execution, bombings, depression, suicide attempts on page, fatphobia, bodyshaming, ableism, drug use, alcohol, xenophobia, islamophobia, sexism, sexual harassment, homophobia, religious bigotry.

Content Warnings

rieviolet's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional informative fast-paced

I've been trying to get into graphic novels lately but it's been a bit of a hit-or-miss experience so far.

When it comes to Persepolis, I can say that I liked the graphic style and the black and white colouring; I felt like these stilistic choices suited the story quite well. I also appreciated the humour peppered throughout, I did chuckle out loud from time to time.

I read the volume including all 4 parts but I didn't like them in equal measure. The first segment is the one I enjoyed the most, with its focus on the author's childhoood. Still, I cannot but admire Satrapi's honesty in depicting her personal life, the good but also the bad and the less palatable of it.

Content Warnings

miqozerda's review against another edition

2.5

emotional informative sad fast-paced

Content Warnings

cherub__'s review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

Truly excellent read. A marvelous blend of prose and visual art. Satrapi's voice as an author is equally distinctive as her illustration style as an artist. Her story feels like it manages to capture something both deeply personal as well as something felt broadly among an entire generation of Iranians growing up during and after the Revolution. The empathy displayed here is striking, especially because it is applied just as strongly to Satrapi's younger self as to her peers, her family, and friends. Reading Persepolis really does take me back to the mind of a child, then a teenager, and then a young adult -- despite my complete unfamiliarity with Satrapi's cultural background and specific experiences, her story is felt relatable to me.

Cannot recommend this book enough.

Content Warnings

markwillnevercry's review against another edition

0.5

So, there is a bit to tell. I really did not like this book. You might think "Ah, so you did not like it, because it was bad", but it wasn't. Marjane Satrapi does a very good job of showing how she grew up and how stuff changed her. However, it felt a bit like listening to your friend go through absolute shit, without recognizing that you also have problems that you have to deal with. Marjane Satrapi just kept going, because she wanted to tell her story and it was uncomfortable to read, specifically the Vienna part. As a separate note, this book is just in general giving the vibe of "i do not care about the way you feel, because i will never reflect on this", so we got slutshaming and fatphobia. I kind of feel like I wasted my time with this book.

Reading notes:

Momo sucks ass.

She just accused man of a crime he didn't commit? And what she accused him of is not even comparible of her wearing lipstick? And her and her boyfriend are so happy about it? They deserve each other.

The scene with the pills in uni. Just like, girly, if you have something on your heart, maybe don't throw it at the first person you see?

Content Warnings

daniellekat's review against another edition

2.5

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

Oof. I’m having a really hard time rating this one. On one hand, it was a beautiful look at one girl’s coming of age in an environment of war and oppression. But on the other hand, I really disliked Marjane (which feels harsh because this is non fiction) and the way the narrative was told. Each chapter felt disjointed and somewhat unreliable. I don’t know if I just had high expectations or this just didn’t work for me. Either way I would still recommend because it was an accessible look at the turmoil in Iran during the late 80s and early 90s.

Content Warnings

afion's review against another edition

3.5

Content Warnings

zombiezami's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

I'm so glad I finally got to read this. I watched the movie twice before, and reading this makes me want to watch it again. Marjane Satrapi has so much heart and candor and writes and draws in such a profound way that helps even outsiders understand. She is an international treasure.

Content Warnings

More...