Persepolis

Wise,oftenfunny,sometimesheartbreaking,Persepolis:TheStoryofaChildhoodtellsthestoryofMarjaneSatrapi'slifeinTehranfromtheagesofsixtofourteen,yearsthatsawtheoverthrowoftheShah'sregime,thetriumphoftheIslamicRevolutionandthedevastatingeffectsofwarwithIraq.TheintelligentandoutspokenchildofradicalMarxists,andthegreat-grandaughterofIran'slastemperor,Satrapibearswitnesstoachildhooduniquelyentwinedwiththehistoryofhercountry.PersepolispaintsanunforgettableportraitofdailylifeinIranandofthebewilderingcontradictionsbetweenhomelifeandpubliclife.Amidstthetragedy,Marjane'schild'seyeviewaddsimmediacyandhumour,andherstoryofachildhoodatonceoutrageousandordinary,besetbytheunthinkableandyetbufferedbyanextraordinaryandlovingfamily,isimmenselymoving.Itisalsoverybeautiful;Satrapi'sdrawingshavethepoweroftheverybestwoodcuts.Persepolisendsonacliffhangerin1984,justasfourteen-year-oldMarjaneisleavingbehindherhomeinTehran,escapingfundamentalismandthewarwithIraqtobeginanewlifeintheWest.InPersepolis2:TheStoryofaReturnwefollowouryoung,intrepidheroinethroughthenexteightyearsofherlife:aneye-openingandsometimeslonelyfouryearsofhighschoolinVienna,followedbyasupremelyeducationalandheartwrenchingfouryearsbackhomeinIran.Justasfunnyandheartbreakingasitspredecessor-withperhapsanevengreatersenseoftheridiculousinspiredbylifeinafundamentaliststate-Persepolis2isalsoasclear-eyedandsearinginitscondemnationoffundamentalismanditscosttothehumanspirit.Initsdepictionoftheuniversaltrialsofadolescentlifeandgrowingintoadulthood-herecompoundedbybeinganoutsiderbothabroadandathome,andbylivinginastatewhereyouhavenorighttoshowyourhair,wearmake-up,runinpublic,date,orquestionauthority-it'sraw,honest,andincrediblyilluminating.