Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Satrapi, M. (2013). The complete Persepolis. St. Albert, AB: SAPL.

 Persepolis is a graphic novel memoir of the authors's life during the times of war and strife in Iran as she grew up. Throughout the story, the reader learns about Marjane's journey in Iran and all of the people she lost and how lost she felt in her own identity as an Iranian woman. This is a coming of age story that reveals how a young girl can be changed throughout war and grief and come out the other side. This graphic novel intertwines her experiences, the stories of others who were prisoners, soldiers, and fanatics, and her loving parents. Marjane was rebellious kid and teenager, who ends up living on her own in Austria for school from the age of about 14-18 before she came back to Iran. It reveals the struggle of immigrant students who do not want to disappoint their parents. She lived on the streets for months before coming home to Iran, because she did not want to have to tell her family that she was a failure. They, of course, never saw her as a failure.

 She continues on in Iran meeting her first real significant boyfriend, who ends up being her first husband, and they apply to go to school for art. This is how the story is revealed that Marjane became a comic artist/illustrator. This insight adds a new depth to understanding why this memoir is in the graphic novel format. Images and words together help form her story in a beautiful way. When evaluating this story, I felt that the format made so much sense. I wish that I could have read the book in the original serial format instead of the complete story told together. I struggled a little more than I normally do with this book compared to other graphic novels that I have read. I am not sure why exactly, but I think that since this book was originally published in 3 parts that it might have been a bit more easily digestible and kept my interest easier. Overall, it was still a remarkable story in both the content and the presentation. 

Other books you might enjoy based on Persepolis:

  • I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (There is an audiobook, and young readers editions- there are also many other publications that tell her story through picture books and biographies)
  • Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose 
  • March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (graphic novel format) 

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