I remember when a friend of mine told me about Persepolis nearly two years ago. It is a graphic novel written by Marjane Satrapi, a woman who grew up during the Islamic Revolution, and I remember not understanding why on earth she thought that would be a good book for me to read as I like to read things such as Russian literature and beauty blogs.
Of course, I was wrong and the book is absolutely stellar.
Over the course of the graphic novel, however, the reader gets to know the brilliant, young Marjane Satrapi through her own eyes. She is a headstrong, sometimes hard to love little girl who ultimately believes in freedom and equality for all, however she may articulate it (her understanding of events around her changes as she ages).
At first, I struggled with the book, trying to sort out what was going on in both Satrapi’s life and the main plot, as well as who all the key players were. Just when the I thought I had a grip on the book, someone would die or disappear with no explanation, and I was back at square one. Being unfamiliar with the Islamic Revolution definitely contributed to my confusion. The author included short explanatory notes, which helped immensely, and led to me doing some research of my own into who the key players of the revolution where.
Something that required no explanation was Satrapi’s refusal to shy away from the incredible violence of the world she was raised in. She explained disappearances, riots, and torture in such a frank and heartbreaking way that left me emotionally drained for several days and questioning how someone so young could come out of such terrible circumstances and still be okay.
Writing about tragic events like the murder of her neighbors and family members in such a childlike way is not something I expected at first. The deceptively simple comic book format made me believe that I would find the book short and enjoyable, an easy read if you will, which was not the case at all. While I did enjoy the book and found it fascinating, I also struggled with the intense violence and unrest of Satrapi’s native Iran. It was difficult for me to come to terms with certain passages as the reader, namely when central characters like her uncle, Anoosh, was executed in prison as a Russian spy. I questioned the justice of such a system, and was left angry in more than one place.
Yet the book also opened my eyes to a whole part of history that I wasn't aware of, and helped me become more aware of what other people are going through.
What is the best book you have read recently?
