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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
After reading Persepolis 1, I couldn't wait for this to arrive at the library, so that I could find out what happened in Marjane's life.
Book 1 left off on a bit of a cliffhanger. Marjane had just left the repressive regime of Iran (and her parents) to head to Austria and finish her schooling there. It felt like she was trapped in a no-win situation. Staying in Iran gave her the family support that she's always relied on, but was slowly crushing her spirit by forcing her to bend to a religious regime that was stripping away personal freedoms and her ability to express her brilliant mind. However, as she found out quickly, Austria wasn't everything she had hoped it would be. While she had more freedom to express herself, both physically and philosophically, there was a definite culture clash. Marjane experienced racism and a complete lack of emotional support for the first time in her life.
Adolescence is a rough time for so many people, and I couldn't even imagine going through not just the physical changes, but the emotional changes as well, while living in a place without my family and a core group of friends who fully accept you and understand you at a deep level. I empathized so deeply with what Marjane went through, and was so impressed with the strength that she was able to display.
Even with everything that she went through, she demonstrated an ability to take in wisdom that was offered, and fortunately, her family members gave her enough room to make her own mistakes, trusting that she would learn from them. The drawings were stark, with the black and white format, but I thought that it fit the story perfectly. This is definitely a memoir that was well suited for a graphic novel format, and it will stick with me for a long time.
Book 1 left off on a bit of a cliffhanger. Marjane had just left the repressive regime of Iran (and her parents) to head to Austria and finish her schooling there. It felt like she was trapped in a no-win situation. Staying in Iran gave her the family support that she's always relied on, but was slowly crushing her spirit by forcing her to bend to a religious regime that was stripping away personal freedoms and her ability to express her brilliant mind. However, as she found out quickly, Austria wasn't everything she had hoped it would be. While she had more freedom to express herself, both physically and philosophically, there was a definite culture clash. Marjane experienced racism and a complete lack of emotional support for the first time in her life.
Adolescence is a rough time for so many people, and I couldn't even imagine going through not just the physical changes, but the emotional changes as well, while living in a place without my family and a core group of friends who fully accept you and understand you at a deep level. I empathized so deeply with what Marjane went through, and was so impressed with the strength that she was able to display.
Even with everything that she went through, she demonstrated an ability to take in wisdom that was offered, and fortunately, her family members gave her enough room to make her own mistakes, trusting that she would learn from them. The drawings were stark, with the black and white format, but I thought that it fit the story perfectly. This is definitely a memoir that was well suited for a graphic novel format, and it will stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt
I am less impressed by this volume since I liked the first one. Without the guidance of her parents, she was led astray. She lost herself. I do agree with her views about how Islamic laws favours the men and understood a bit about why Iranian won't help the Iraqi when they suffered war as well. However, I find that her teenage years was filled with mistakes after mistakes. I guess that's her life experience would be a good indicator of what not to do. Unfortunately, I find her shallow.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Me gustó un montón, la primera parte la leí hace más de medio año y seguía postergando esta porque la verdad es que la anterior, si bien me gustó, me pareció bastante densa. Esta segunda parte todo lo contrario, la leí en menos de dos días, me hizo reír y llorar y se la recomendaría a cualquier persona interesada.
3.5, Great, engaging. Explores themes of feminism, religious repression, etc.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
In this sequel to Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi recounts her time spent at boarding school in Vienna, and then her subsequent return to Iran as a teenager. What I liked about the first book – the art style, the narrative voice, the chapter vignettes – was also present in this sequel. But a new theme that was explored in this one was culture shock and immigration. Marjane navigating life in Vienna with new friends and boyfriends and no family, was told with the same nuance and dark humour that I loved in the first book.
Persepolis 2 took some time getting started but the story picked up once she was back in Iran.
informative
reflective