Persepolis

This is Marjane Starapi's memoir about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It takes place in Tehran when she was age six to fourteen. She experienced the Shah's regime overthrown, the Islamic Revolution, and war with Iraq. These were all life changing events for her as a child of Marxists and as great-granddaughter to one of Iran's last emperors. Interspersed with these major events, are her daily life experiences.

I really liked this memoir. It is a powerful telling of one person's experience during great historical events. It is very personal look at her life. Even though we are mostly given the highlights or "big moments", I thought it came together in a moving story. There are tragic moments, but also humorous parts that make a very emotional story. I also thought it was excellently portrayed from a child's perspective. This can be hit or miss in books, but it was realistic, and made for an interesting view of historical events.

I liked that she used only black and white drawings in her graphic novel. I do like color and appreciate beautiful art in graphic novels, but I think the plain straightforward art really worked well with her story. It did not distract from the seriousness of her memoir, but rather leant to the impact of her words.

If you are interested in events in Iran or excellent graphic novels, I highly recommend reading this book.