Book Reviews: Persepolis and Persepolis 2

A friend of mine recommended that I read this series of graphic novels. I usually don't read graphic novels because I relate them to the comics one reads in the newspapers. But I didn't expect to see what I saw in these two novels. In light of the growing division between Muslims and Western, capitalist nations, these books seem even more relevant in these times.

Persepolis
I heard about this book through a friend of mine who went to a book signing by Marjane Satrapi in town recently. The book mainly deals with the author's childhood years going in Iran shortly before, during and right after the Revolution. It was interesting to see how she developed her progressive views from her Communist parents and other relatives like her grandmother and uncle who defied the restrictive Iranian government. The book is also impressive because you get a first hand view of what it was really like to be a woman in that society. I think I learned more about the Iranian Revolution, or at least an alternative view, from reading this book than from all those years in school. If you are looking for a pro-American/pro-Western Iranian point of view, you are likely not to find much of it in this book, as it talks a lot about negatively about Western policies towards Iran's oil industry and Western involvement in Iraq. The drawings are amazing. I felt like Satrapi's life vividly came to life to me and told her story more clearly to me, which made to book even better.

Persepolis 2
This book picks up where Persepolis left off, when Marji's parents send her to Vienna to escape the traditionalist Iranian regime. This sequel is equally as impressive. This deals more with how others, in this case Europeans, identify her as "other." Marji always felt like an "outsider" or a "Third-Worlder" as she had a hard time relating sometimes to her white friends. From being a homeless drug addict for a brief time to finding out one her first loves was gay to becoming an aerobics teacher, Marji definitely goes through more things in her short time than most people do in a lifetime. I was thoroughly impressed with the author's storytelling abilities, which were sad, thought-provoking and comical, which made it hard for me to even put down the book. It was really great to read a book about a Iranian feminist who lives her life the way she wants to live it. I was impressed by this book because the Western media gives the impression that all Muslim women are helpless, when in fact as one read this book, Muslim women are empowered and taking control of their lives.