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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
I was told such good things about this book but I really just didn’t love it. It wasn’t awful but idk maybe it was the style of the dialogue combined with the narration that threw me but I just didn’t really like this book that much.
I think it's a pretty good insight into the Iranian revolution and Iranian culture in general. I think a lot of her decisions and actions are pretty stupid though and there seems to be no reflection on this making it quite surface level. The cartoon style is very cool though
Its high ratings maybe due to the Orientalist viewpoint seeing a young woman rebel against the Iranian regime but if you’re more familiar with the stories the artwork remains the interesting thing which can only elevate a graphic novel to s certain point.
6/10
Its high ratings maybe due to the Orientalist viewpoint seeing a young woman rebel against the Iranian regime but if you’re more familiar with the stories the artwork remains the interesting thing which can only elevate a graphic novel to s certain point.
6/10
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
"'To Die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society.' Niloufar was a real martyr, and her blood certainly did not feed our society's Veins." - Persepolis. a short, powerful, cruel, yet humorous book...
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood has masterfully woven authenticity, political awareness, and humor. In as short as 150 pages, Satrapi has provided a comprehensive narration of events, both textbook-based and her own experience, about Iran's struggle against tyranny and submission, once again, akin to its previous 2,500-year experience.
The graphic novel exhaustively illustrated Satrapi's public and private life in Iran amidst its political cataclysms. It shows Satrapi's transition from a child to an adolescent amidst Iran's relentless political shifts. Being raised in a family that values freedom and voice, Satrapi has grown to become a spirited girl who is unafraid to question and challenge norms, a form of rebellion against the system.
Surprisingly, the narration was very detailed, and easy to understand without compromising the reality of the brutalities and watering down its effects on the country and its people. It depicted how modern imperialism robbed them of their freedom (even to the extent of using religion as a reason) and worse, their lives. Millions of people paid for it. Again.
While the entirety disturbed me, one of the worst ones is how Iranians, mostly from poor areas, were brainwashed to give up their lives to fight, after being promised martyrdom. While dying for one's country is noble in my book, it pains me to think how war is always paid for by the poor and the vulnerable while the privileged and those in power have the choice to look away.
Satrapi, in her memoir, knows she's part of the rich and the privileged. She acknowledged it: the privilege of a good education, luxuries, parties and vacations, and connections. Satrapi knows it, and perhaps, one of the reasons she and her family are daring enough to stand up is because of it. They were not immune to threats, imprisonment, cruelty, and death, but they had it way better than those of lesser privileges.
The reason she can strongly stand up against those who hold power is that she was raised in a family with enough wealth and power. Things could get sideways so fast if she weren't. Knowing how Satrapi and her family did not have it easy, even with all that, saddens me to think how others have it much worse.
Human greed is limitless, and it sickens me. With everything (colonization, genocide) happening right now, it pains me to think how so many people are simply caught up with insatiable political leaders who can never have enough of everything. For pigs, these people are merely casualties.
Admittedly, I haven't had that much information about the extent and the specifics of the modern imperialism Iran has been struggling with until now. Persepolis has helped shed so much light, and for a random pick-up, I am glad to learn of it from the eyes of Satrapi. I could only hope that there comes a time when people won't have to lose their lives over the gluttony of those in power.
I will be doing more research about this to better understand what's happening. Until freedom is served, Free Iran! Free Palestine! Free all nations from colonial rule!
PS. I've had a headache the entire day, so I cannot think properly. My brain's pounding. My thoughts are pouring out clumsily. But hey, at least I got to pour them out. I learned a lot, too. Ignorance is a friend of oppressors, and I'm an eternal enemy.