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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Pantheon Graphic Library)
A New York Times Notable Book
A Time Magazine "Best Comix of the Year"
A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller
Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane's child's-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.
A Time Magazine "Best Comix of the Year"
A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller
Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane's child's-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.
Editorial Reviews
"Delectable. . . Dances with drama and insouciant wit." –The New York Times Book Review
"A stunning graphic memoir hailed as a wholly original achievement in the form. There's still a startling freshness to the book. It won't age. In inky shadows and simple, expressive lines- reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmans's "Madeline"-Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances . . . A stark, shocking impact." - Parul Sehgal, "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years" The New York Times
"A dazzlingly singular achievement. . . . Striking a perfect balance between the fantasies and neighborhood conspiracies of childhood and the mounting lunacy of Khomeini's reign, she's like the Persian love child of Spiegelman and Lynda Barry." –Salon
"A brilliant and unusual graphic memoir. . . . [Told] in a guileless voice . . . accompanied by a series of black-and-white drawings that dramatically illustrate how a repressive regime deforms ordinary lives."–Vogue
"Odds are, you'll be too busy being entertained to realize how much you've learned until you turn the last page."–Elle.com
"[A] self-portrait of the artist as a young girl, rendered in graceful black-and-white comics that apply a childlike sensibility to the bleak lowlights of recent Iranian history. . . . [Her] style is powerful; it persuasively communicates confusion and horror through the eyes of a precocious preteen." –Village Voice
" This is an excellent comic book, that deserves a place with Joe Sacco and even Art Spiegelman. In her bold black and white panels, Satrapi eloquently reasserts the moral bankruptcy of all political dogma and religious conformity; how it bullies, how it murders, and how it may always be ridiculed by individual rebellions of the spirit and the intellect." --Zadie Smith, author of The Autograph Man and White Teeth
"You've never seen anything like Persepolis-the intimacy of a memoir, the irresistability of a comic book, and the political depth of a the conflict between fundamentalism and democracy. Marjane Satrapi may have given us a new genre."
--Gloria Steinem
I grew up reading the Mexican comics of Gabriel Vargas, graduated to the political...
"A stunning graphic memoir hailed as a wholly original achievement in the form. There's still a startling freshness to the book. It won't age. In inky shadows and simple, expressive lines- reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmans's "Madeline"-Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances . . . A stark, shocking impact." - Parul Sehgal, "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years" The New York Times
"A dazzlingly singular achievement. . . . Striking a perfect balance between the fantasies and neighborhood conspiracies of childhood and the mounting lunacy of Khomeini's reign, she's like the Persian love child of Spiegelman and Lynda Barry." –Salon
"A brilliant and unusual graphic memoir. . . . [Told] in a guileless voice . . . accompanied by a series of black-and-white drawings that dramatically illustrate how a repressive regime deforms ordinary lives."–Vogue
"Odds are, you'll be too busy being entertained to realize how much you've learned until you turn the last page."–Elle.com
"[A] self-portrait of the artist as a young girl, rendered in graceful black-and-white comics that apply a childlike sensibility to the bleak lowlights of recent Iranian history. . . . [Her] style is powerful; it persuasively communicates confusion and horror through the eyes of a precocious preteen." –Village Voice
" This is an excellent comic book, that deserves a place with Joe Sacco and even Art Spiegelman. In her bold black and white panels, Satrapi eloquently reasserts the moral bankruptcy of all political dogma and religious conformity; how it bullies, how it murders, and how it may always be ridiculed by individual rebellions of the spirit and the intellect." --Zadie Smith, author of The Autograph Man and White Teeth
"You've never seen anything like Persepolis-the intimacy of a memoir, the irresistability of a comic book, and the political depth of a the conflict between fundamentalism and democracy. Marjane Satrapi may have given us a new genre."
--Gloria Steinem
I grew up reading the Mexican comics of Gabriel Vargas, graduated to the political...
Readers Top Reviews
Carno PoloPage Tu
Very original format: telling the story of a revolution, a major event in world history, through a graphic story about a little girl coming of age. She is from a middle class family in Tehran and tells us about the fall of the Shah and the rise of the islamic republic thourgh the eyes of a child. A child who is very aware of what is going on around her and is not afraid to speak up. Through the microstory of her family, her school, her relatives and neighbors we learn a lot about everyday life in Tehran in that period. The book ends with her departure for Austria in 1983 where her parents sent her to be safe from the dangers of war with Iraq and of internal repression. I am looking forward to reading the sequel
Keith W.Richard W
Had to buy this for mandated high school reading. The illustrations are very simplistic, language is basic and at times crude, overall story is depressing and the message obvious. With millions of books to choose from, why would anyone read this?
Adrienne SKeith W
This clever book is a kind of a memoir slash graphic novel slash comic book that’s essentially a coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in Iran. I really enjoyed this book and found it really interesting and thought-provoking. Although it sort of appears to be a light-hearted read, it gets into some serious stuff at times and really gives you some perspective. Overall, I highly recommend this book to both young adult readers and adults alike.
NeurotechMommy2bo
This book was required reading for my high achool child in IIB English. It is very descriptive of torture and abuse in Iran. It is very distressing to a young mind to be introduced to the atrocities of Iranian crime and punishment. I am shocked that this awful book was assigned reading.
Artemis825Neurote
Ordered it for my daughter's pre-AP english class, looked at the first page and got hooked. I finished it before she did! Such an interesting and powerful story, and the fact that it is conveyed within the sparse structure of a graphic novel add to the force of the narrative. As Americans many of us are often sheltered in our privilege, not truly appreciating the suffering and fear of living in a country you love that is turned inside out by war. When I was 16, I stayed with a Persian family in Austria for a week. I wish I had asked them more about their homeland.
