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Harper C.: Five Book Friday: Uncanny Graphic Novels (0 comment)
We are in the thick of winter here in the Pacific Northwest, which means it's dark, damp, and chilly. Rather than escaping to stories with warmer, brighter climates, I personally want nothing more than to dive deep into gothic and uncanny fiction as the wind rattles my windows at night...
Read More»
  • Powell's Staff: New Literature in Translation: December 2022 and January 2023 (0 comment)
  • Kelsey Ford: From the Stacks: J. M. Ledgard's Submergence (0 comment)

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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

  • Comment on this title
  • Synopses & Reviews
  • Award Excerpt

ISBN13: 9780375714573
ISBN10: 037571457X
Condition: Standard


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Awards

Winner of the 2003 Fernando Buesa Peace Prize (Spain)
A New York Times Notable Book
A Time Magazine "Best Comix of the Year"

From Powells.com

25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die

Browse all of the exceptional memoirs that made our list.


Staff Pick

Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is a true-life account of childhood against the backdrop of radicalizing Iran. Satrapi doesn't shy away from depicting the brutal, stark truths of the Islamic Revolution and the ensuing Iran-Iraq War, but just as powerful are the moments of a young girl growing: the warm touches on her life by her family, her embattled relationship with the faith she's grown up with, the terrible recklessness of asserting her identity in a fundamentalism regime. For me, this read was as impactful as Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. In a time of outspoken Islamophobia, Persepolis is an essential read. Recommended By Miranda G., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Originally published to wide critical acclaim in France, where it elicited comparisons to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran: of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life and of the enormous toll repressive regimes exact on the individual spirit. Marjane's child's-eye-view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a stunning reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, through laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

Review

"A triumph....Like Maus, Persepolis is one of those comic books capable of seducing even those most allergic to the genre. The author's masterstroke is to allow us to experience history from within her family, with irony and tenderness." Libération (France)

Review

"I cannot praise enough Marjane Satrapi's moving account of growing up as a spirited young girl in revolutionary and war-time Iran. Persepolis is disarming and often humorous but ultimately it is shattering." Joe Sacco, author of Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde

Review

"I thought [Persepolis] was a superb piece of work....Satrap has found a way of depicting human beings that is both simple and immediately comprehensible, AND is almost infinitely flexible. Anyone who's tried to draw a simplified version of a human face knows how immensely difficult it is not only to give the faces a range of expression, but also to maintain identities from one frame to the next. It's an enormous technical accomplishment." Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass

Review

"You've never seen anything like Persepolis — the intimacy of a memoir, the irresistability of a comic book, and the political depth of a the conflict between fundamentalism and democracy. Marjane Satrapi may have given us a new genre." Gloria Steinem

Review

"[A] timely and timeless story....Powerfully understated, this work joins other memoirs — Spiegelman's Maus and Sacco's Safe Area Goradze — that use comics to make the unthinkable familiar." Publishers Weekly

Review

"Satrapi's super-naive style is powerful; it persuasively communicates confusion and horror through the eyes of a precocious preteen." Joy Press, Village Voice

Review

"Satrapi converts a childhood filled with secret police and a long war with Iraq into a comic strip that is both funny and dark." Sandip Roy, San Francisco Chronicle

Review

"The fact that [Satrapi] is able to portray such a vast range of emotions with a few simple strokes of a pen is impressive. That she does this consistently for 153 pages is a mighty achievement." USA Today

Review

"Satrapi pulls us into the story, which looks harmless, almost cute amid its cartoon-like illustrations. No sooner have we read the first page, however, than we're drawn into a heartbreaking tale..." Bernadette Murphy, Los Angeles Times

Review

"[T]he best coming-of-age story I've read in years....Satrapi manages to portray the often funny, largely forgotten mundanities of everyday life alongside and intermingled with the escalating horror of a culture torn violently between fundamentalism and secularism." Bethany Schneider, Newsday

Review

"American readers and booksellers...will likely find the form of Persepolis as striking as its content. Happily, a comic book's cardinal virtue is its accessibility. Persepolis will entertain bored teenagers and edify experts on the Middle East." Jeremy Smith, Chicago Tribune

Review

"[T]he latest and one of the most delectable examples of a booming postmodern genre: autobiography by comic book....Satrapi's drawing style is bold and vivid." Fernanda Eberstadt, The New York Times Book Review

Review

"[An] extraordinary autobiography....A remarkable, revealing, and sometimes startling account, this is sure to be one of the most important graphic novels of the year. Highly recommended." Library Journal

Review

"[T]eens will learn much of the history of this important area and will identify with young Marji and her friends. This is a graphic novel of immense power and importance for Westerners of all ages. It will speak to the same audience as Art Spiegelman's Maus." School Library Journal

Review

"Satrapi's literary and graphic narratives provide a moving, humorous, and powerful view of life under a totalitarian religious state....A powerful, understated ending that brought tears to my eyes." Jennifer Ralston, Children's Literature

Review

"This is an excellent comic book, that deserves a place with Joe Sacco and even Art Spiegelman. In her bold black and white panels, Satrapi eloquently reasserts the moral bankruptcy of all political dogma and religious conformity; how it bullies, how it murders, and how it may always be ridiculed by individual rebellions of the spirit and the intellect." Zadie Smith, author of White Teeth

Review

"This witty, moving and illuminating book demonstrates graphically why the future of Iran lies with neither the clerics nor the American Empire." Tariq Ali, author of The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity

Review

"I found the work immensely moving with depths of nuance and wisdom that one might never expect to find in a comic book. It's a powerful, mysterious, enchanting story that manages to reflect a great swath of Iranian contemporary history within the sensitive, intimate tale of a young girl's coming-of-age. I didn’t want it to end!" Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent and Arabian Jazz

Review

"A rare and chilling memoir that offers every reader a personal, honest portrait of Iran's recent political and cultural history. Ms. Satrapi's provocative, graphic narrative of life in Iran before and after the Islamic revolution is an extraordinary testament to the level of human suffering experienced by Iranians tossed from one political hypocrisy to another. Aside from the humanistic dimension, the beautifully minimalist Persepolis gives further evidence of Marjane Satrapi's sensitivity and superb skill as an artist." Shirin Neshat, visual artist/filmmaker

Review

"Readers who have always wanted to look beyond political headlines and CNN's cliches should plunge into this unique illustrated story. Let Marji be your trusted companion, follow her into the warmth of a Persian home and out along Tehran's turbulent streets during those heady days of revolution. Persepolis opens a rare door to understanding of events that still haunt America, while shining a bright light on the personal humanity and humor so much alive in Iranian families today." Terence Ward, author of Searching for Hassan

Review

"Blending the historical with the personal is not an easy task, to blend the individual with the universal is even more challenging. But Marjane Satrapi has succeeded brilliantly. This graphic novel is a reminder of the human spirit that fights oppression and death, it is a witness to something true and lasting which is more affective than hundreds of news broadcasts." Hanan al-Shaykh, author of Women of Sand and Myrhh

Review

"Both enchanting and devastingly real, Persepolis captures the many complexities of modern Iran, filtered through compelling illustrations and a wise child's eye." Christiane Bird, author of Neither East Nor West

Review

"I'm not normally a comic book reader, and I'll admit I was skeptical. Within the first few pages, though, I felt the tiny hand of the narrator pulling me into her world. As she regaled me with tales of her extraordinary life, I found myself moved, fascinated, shocked and enthralled. The next time I looked up, I had finished the book. I looked around the room feeling bewildered. How, I wondered, did this wonderful little book manage to transport me so completely?" Alison Wearing, author of Honeymoon in Purdah

Review

"This child's eye view of survival during Iran's revolution and the Iraq war made me laugh and cry. Most importantly, it helped me to see recent upheavals in a new way. This comic strip should be required reading!" Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind and Haveli

Review

"I grew up reading the Mexican comics of Gabriel Vargas, graduated to the political teachings of Rius, fell under the spell of Linda Barry, Art Spiegelman, and now I am a fan of Marjane Satrapi. Her stories thrummed in my heart for days. Persepolis is part history book, part Scheherazade, astonishing as only true stories can be. I learned much about the history of Iran, but more importantly, it gave me hope for humanity in these unkind times." Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street and Caramelo

About the Author

Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She grew up in Tehran, where she studied at the Lycée Français before leaving for Vienna and then going to Strasbourg to study illustration. She currently lives in Paris, where she is at work on the sequel to Persepolis and where her illustrations appear regularly in newspapers and magazines. She is also the author of several children's books.

5 6

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 5 (6 comments)

`
hj , July 04, 2017
I'm not a fan of graphic narratives, but this one is well worth attention. Witty, incisive, disturbing because of the material it deals with. Am trying to find a copy to give to a young refugee staying with us.

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sarahb , August 05, 2012
I've been wanting to read this for years, and finally did with my book club. There are so many amazing, sad, wonderful parts of the novel that are ripe for club discussion.

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dizzyalien , January 01, 2010
Satrapi's autobiography about growing up during Iran's Islamic revolution was one of the few books of the last decade that has haunted me, long after I had finished it. Like many stories about childhood, it manages to be funny, cruel, and innocent all at once; but through her graphic narrative Satrapi also shows how the revolution brutalized her educated, liberal family, who ironically opposed the rule of the Shah and supported the revolution. Persepolis also humanizes current events in Iran, which Americans tend to view through memories of the "Iranian hostage crisis," and media coverage of President Ahmadinejad's policies and statements. If it hasn't become clear through the present Green movement in Tehran, it should be known that Muslim extremism isn't the only voice of the Iranian people. I'm glad some colleges and schools are now assigning this book as a common reader: it offers a counterpoint to common U.S. stereotypes of Iran and its people.

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yellow_submarine , March 19, 2009
this book is amazing and i think all american kids should read it. we are lucky to have books like this, our parents didn't

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Jonathan Fincher , April 10, 2008 (view all comments by Jonathan Fincher)
I read the whole book in two sittings, and the only reason I stopped reading in the middle was because it was 4 AM. A deeply engrossing and personal account of the Iranian revolution. Since the whole thing is told from a child's perspective, the politics of the situation are barely touched upon, leaving simply what life was like for people before and after an oppressive regime came to power. It ranks up there with Maus as proof that comic books can achieve the status of high art.

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uncle_loki , August 18, 2007 (view all comments by uncle_loki)
The evocotive images found in Persepolis convey meaning that might have been lost in pure text. The story itself is informative and touching, but the way in which Satrapi uses the form of graphic novel so effectively is what really makes this book a work of art.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375714573
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
06/01/2004
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Series info:
Persepolis
Pages:
153
Height:
.51IN
Width:
6.02IN
Thickness:
.50
Number of Units:
1
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2003
Author:
Marjane Satrapi
Subject:
Satrapi, Marjane
Subject:
Biography-Women
Subject:
Women -- Iran.
Subject:
Social conditions

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