Persepolis - The Story of a Childhood and The Story of a Return

Marjane Satrapi's memoir Persepolis in the form of powerful drawings in black & white is like nothing I've seen before. She prefers to call it a comic book rather than a graphic novel. This comic book collection (from 2000 & 2004) has also been made into a 96-minute animated movie in 2007 and both  the formats have won rave reviews. 

The Iran-born author's candid & often humorous narration of her years growing up during the Iranian revolution makes a sad & depressing story interesting and informative. 

This book is not for the easily offended. 


The regime had understood that one person leaving her house while asking herself: Are my trousers long enough?’ Is my veil in place?’ Can my make-up be seen?’ Are they going to whip me?’ No longer asks herself: Where is my freedom of thought?’ Where is my freedom of speech?’ My life, is it livable?’ What’s going on in the political prisons?

While the book is engrossing enough for a single reading, for students of comic art & aspiring graphic novelists, this is a great resource to learn from.

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