Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Another graphic novel, my third of the year so far, and I have Habibi out of the library now. Persepolis has been on my list since the movie came out, so that I could read the book before seeing the movie. Took a few years but I can now move the movie up the Netflix list.

Marjane Satrapi was born in Tehran and was a small child when the Islamic revolution came about in 1979. This memoir tells of the changes for her family and the society through the lens of her own life.

While no one liked the shah, the revolution radically altered life in Iran, creating an oppressive environment and no real way of escape. Marji was sent to Vienna to live after Iraq began bombing Tehran, and living there in a variety of situations, you almost think that she will have a happy life there. She returns to Iran after the war and is struck by all the emphasis on the "martyrs" of the Iran-Iraq war, and by the oppressive environment.

The story is told straightforwardly and honestly. While there is no justice in the land, neither is she or her family portrayed as complete innocents. The futility of imposing Islamic law on those who are not true believers comes through loud and clear. The only fallback the morality police have is to kill the "sinners" who dare to wear makeup or to say the wrong thing.

The stark black and white of the art (lots of black thanks to all the veils) suits the situation, where the world is black and white and mostly dark. In Vienna we see more grays, but it's back to black and white in Tehran. The artist uses the medium well to let art tell part of the story.

Finished it on 2/26/12.