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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
I am literally speechless after finishing this graphic memoir. This is such an important and timely book to be reading right now, and it was so informative. I grew up in Indiana in the United States, so I didn't know anything about the Iranian Revolution and it gave me such a different perspective and I'm so glad I read this book. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.
Told in the same style as the first book. I'm still trying to decide if the uncertainty and unsureness that comes through so clearly in the first half of the book is a result of uneven writing or if it's just an accurate remembrance of how lost *she* was at that age. It doesn't pack the immediate suckerpunch of the first book, but it does leave me wondering where the author went from here.
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1185816.html[return][return]I'm startled to see that it is four and a half years since I read (and greatly enjoyed) the first volume of Satrapi's autobiography. At the end of the previous book she had managed to get out of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Austria. Persepolis 2 falls into two halves: her Austrian experience, and then her return to Iran, at the end of which she emigrates again to France. In both Vienna and Tehran, she is in a relationship whose breakdown is a key factor in her decision to leave. But the narrative similarities between the two halves of the book actually help to contrast the huge differences between the two. In Vienna, she is an immigrant, sworn at by old men on buses, bereft of family links, ending up sleeping on the streets in the middle of winter. In Tehran she is spoiled by her experience of the outside world, picks fights with the religious authorities, has difficulty fitting back in. (In both cases, though this is not quite how she outs it, she struggles with substance abuse and depression.)[return][return]The story of the education of Marjane is told with detachment, and occasional amusement and shame at the actions of her younger self. As with the first volume, however, the real strength of the book is her depiction of life in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where few actually support the principles of the revolution, but all must pay lip service to it, and all women must obey the dress code. (She also answers a question I almost asked a few weeks back.) As an art student, she has the bizarre experience of trying to draw a fenale model whose body is completely covered; the girls solve this by modelling for each other at home. She successfully challenges the college to change the uniform for female students, and ends up designing it herself. Finally, at the end of the book, she and her husband embark on a grand project exploring Iranian culture and mythology; but in the end it turns out to be incompatible with the principles of the Islamic Revolution, and their marriage ends, and Marjane leaves for France.[return][return]It's all in black and white: on the surface there appear to be no shades of grey in Satrapi's world. But if you look closely you can see that they are there.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I gave book 1 five stars, and this one is nearly its equal, but lacked just a little bit of that punch that the original had, I guess. I really loved this one as well! It focuses much less on Iran than the narrator and her life, although Iran still plays a huge supporting role, so to speak. Still a very good and educational and interesting read, and extremely worthwhile, but is much more a coming-of-age story than one about Iran than the original was.
I fell in love with Satrapi's story years ago and I can't believe I didn't pick up this sequel sooner!
Basically, everything from the drawings to the messages to the peeks into Post-war Islamic culture is absolutely thrilling (and very important!) to read. I respect this woman so much and I will soak up literally anything she creates.
Thanks again, queen :)
Basically, everything from the drawings to the messages to the peeks into Post-war Islamic culture is absolutely thrilling (and very important!) to read. I respect this woman so much and I will soak up literally anything she creates.
Thanks again, queen :)
This wasn't really memorable and I had a couple of issues with it..
This was striking. The comments near the end about how the west (America and other western powers) gave weapons to both Iraq and Iran in their war against each other is alarming and sad. Also, how the west aided Kuwait (due to its wealth) and not Afghanistan (due to its lack). It was an interesting and more full perspective of this area of the world.
emotional
funny
medium-paced