Persepolis 1

Persepolis #1

by Marjane Satrapi, Slavica Miletić (Translator)

Marđan Satrapi rođena je 1969. godine u iranskom gradu Reštu. Majka joj je praunuka persijskog šaha, koji je vladao od 1848. do 1896. godine, ali, kako Marđan ističe, kraljevi iz dinastije Kađar imali su na stotine žena i na hiljade dece, što znači da danas ima čitavih deset do petnaest hiljada prinčeva i princeza iz te loze. Odrasla je u Teheranu, gde je pohađala francusku školu. Godine 1983, u želji da je zaštite od političkih previranja u zemlji, roditelji je šalju u Beč, gde nastavlja školovanje. Slede studije likovne umetnosti u Iranu, a zatim odlazak u Francusku, gde se, uz dalje studiranje, bavila ilustrovanjem knjiga za decu. Njena karijera krenula je uzlaznom putanjom kada je upoznala francuskog autora stripa Davida B. Svetsku slavu i brojne nagrade doneo joj je album “Persepolis” (I-IV, 2000-2003), prvi iranski strip u istoriji. Danas živi i radi u Parizu.
Ostala dela Marđan Satrapi: “Sagesse et malice de la Perse”, “Les monstres n�aiment pas la lune”, “Ulysse au pays de fous”, “Adjar”, “Broderies”, “Poulet aux Prunes”.

Objavljena u Francuskoj, gde je dobila oduševljene pohvale kritičara i bila upoređena sa Špigelmanovim “Mausom”, autobiografska grafička novela “Persepolis” je izvanredno mudra, duhovita i dirljiva priča o odrastanju u Iranu za vreme Islamske revolucije.
Ovako autorka o svom delu: “Morala sam da kopam po uspomenama, a to je ponekad veoma bolno. Želela sam da kažem čitaocima: �Mi smo ljudi kao i vi! Nemojte misliti da se takve stvari događaju samo u dalekim zemljama.”

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Memoir, Bande Dessinée, History, Biography

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Marjane Satrapi (Persian: مرجان ساتراپی) is an Iranian-born French contemporary graphic novellist, illustrator, animated film director, and children's book author. Apart from her native tongue Persian, she speaks English, Swedish, German, French and Italian.

Satrapi grew up in Tehran in a family which was involved with communist and socialist movements in Iran prior to the Iranian Revolution. She attended the Lycée Français there and witnessed, as a child, the growing suppression of civil liberties and the everyday-life consequences of Iranian politics, including the fall of the Shah, the early regime of Ruhollah Khomeini, and the first years of the Iran-Iraq War. She experienced an Iraqi air raid and Scud missile attacks on Tehran. According to Persepolis, one Scud hit the house next to hers, killing her friend and entire family.

Satrapi's family are of distant Iranian Azeri ancestry and are descendants of Nasser al-Din Shah, Shah of Persia from 1848 until 1896. Satrapi said that "But you have to know the kings of the Qajar dynasty, they had hundreds of wives. They made thousands of kids. If you multiply these kids by generation you have, I don't know, 10-15,000 princes [and princesses]. There's nothing extremely special about that." She added that due to this detail, most Iranian families would be, in the words of Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian, "blue blooded."

In 1983, at the age of 14 Satrapi was sent to Vienna, Austria by her parents in order to flee the Iranian regime. There she attended the Lycée Français de Vienne. According to her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, she stayed in Vienna through her high school years, staying in friends' homes, but spent three months living on the streets. After an almost deadly bout of pneumonia, she returned to Iran. She studied Visual Communication, eventually obtaining a Master's Degree from Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

During this time, Satrapi went to numerous illegal parties hosted by her friends, where she met a man named Reza, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. She married him at the age of 21, but divorced roughly three years later. Satrapi then moved to Strasbourg, France.

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when this came out here in Paris and the fantastic wave of publicity it got. And deservedly so. It is a fantastic account of life during the Iranian Revolution and afterwards as Satrapi is a refugee. I happen to have a friend that is also named Marjan who told me that Satrapi's story was almost identical to hers in terms of her feelings of sadness and alienation and loss after leaving Iran and seeing it devolve into a perverted theocracy of terrorism. The entire series is excellent as is the animated film that came out based on the book about 5 years ago. A critical testimony to events that I lived as an American watching the hostage situation on TV as a kid. It was fascinating to see through the eyes of someone that was there. And that got away.

[Agir(آگِر) · Rating 5 out of 5]

من واقعا نمی دانستم چگونه باید با حجاب کنار بیایم. از طرفی در جامعه ی مذهبی زندگی می کردم و از طرف دیگر خانواده ام خیلی مدرن و پیش رو بودند


در جامعه ما، بارها زنان بخاطر پوشش‌شان مورد خشونت قرار می گیرند. و خیلی از زنان لباس هایی می پوشند که اگر آزاد بودند آنها را نمی پوشیدند. وقتی از علت این تبعیض اجتماعی بر علیه زن پرسیده می شود معمولا پاسخ می دهند: چون زن بی حجاب باعث تحریک مردان می شود
هروقت این جواب را می شنوم یاد شعر معروفی از سیمین دانشور می افتم

!باید باکره باشى، باید پاک باشى
!براى آسایش خاطر مردانى که پیش از تو پرده ها دریده اند
دردم می آید نمی فهمی
تفکر فروشی بدتر از تن فروشی است

حیف که ناموس برای تو وسط پا است نه تفکر
حیف که فاحشه ی مغزی بودن بی اهمیت تر از فاحشه تنی است
من محتاج درک شدن نیستم / دردم می آید خر فرض شوم
دردم می آید آنقدر خوب سر وجدانت کلاه می گذاری

و هر بار که آزادیم را محدود می کنی
می گویی من به تو اطمینان دارم اما اجتماع خراب است
نسل تو هم که اصلا مسئول خرابی هایش نبود

میدانی ؟

دلم از مادر هایمان می گیرد
بدبخت هایی بودند که حتی میترسیدند باور کنند حقشان پایمال شده
خیانت نمی کردند .. نه برای اینکه از زندگی راضی بودند
نه ...خیانت هم شهامت می خواست ... نسل تو از مادر هایمان همه چیز را گرفت
..جایش النگو داد
مادرم از خدا میترسد ... از لقمه ی حرام میترسد ... از همه چیز میترسد
تو هم که خوب میدانی ترساندن بهترین ابزار کنترل است

دردم می آید ... این را هم بخوانی می گویی اغراق است
ببینم فردا که دختر مردم زیر پاهای گشت ارشاد به جرم موی بازش کتک می خورد
باز هم همین را می گویی
ببینم آنجا هم اندازه ی درون خانه ، غیرت داری ؟؟

..دردم می آید که به قول شما تمام زن های اطرافتان خرابند
..و آنهایی هم که نیستند همه فامیل های خودتانند
مادرت اگر روزی جرات پیدا کرد ازش بپرس
از س.ک.س با پدر راضی بود ؟؟؟
..بیچاره سرخ می شود ... و جوابش را
باور کن به خودش هم نمی دهد

دردم می آید
..از این همه بی کسی دردم می آید


:در مورد کتاب

پرسپولیس کتابی مصور و کودکانه است که مرجان ساتراپی سعی کرده بدون خودسانسوری خاطرات کودکی و نوجوانی اش برای عموم جهان و مخصوصا برای ما ایرانی ها با زبانی ساده نقل کند
خاطرات مرجان در سالهای پیش از انقلاب و بعد از آن و همچنین در زمان جنگ تحمیلی می گذرد. این برای خواننده ای که کنجکاو دانستن در مورد آن زمان هاست؛ فرصت گرانبهاییست تا از زبان دختری کوچولو و شیطون ماجراهایی ناگفته را بشنود

مرجان بانو با کمترین تعصب و جبهه گیری به نقد جامعه و حکومت ها پرداخته؛
درباره برخی اخلاق و رفتار مردم ما
نوع طرز فکر هایی که در جامعه ما وجود داره
..بی سوادی رضاخان و ولخرجی های شاه و محدودیت های بعد انقلاب و
و یکی از بحث های جالب: کشورهای غربی و پیشرفته چه نقشی در سر کار آمدن رهبرانی مانند رضاخان و دیگر سردمداران در خاورمیانه دارند؟



و اینکه ما چقدر از لحاظ اقتصادی نزول کردیم



و امروزه دلار را اگر 3200 تومن در نظر بگیریم یعنی قیمت آن
!! تقریبا 800 برابر شده


:لینک دانلود جلد یک و دو کتاب
http://ketabnak.com/book/13522/%D9%BE...

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I bought Persepolis at a yard sale in 2014; it came signed:


(This was the first signed book I ever owned. Also, note how vertical Marjane's signature is.)

The book looked brand new but sold for just $.25. Why get a book signed and then sell it for so little? Surely there's a story here that I'll never know.

Anyway, at the same yard sale, I also bought this:


It's an old board game with a noir style where players work together to solve a crime. It's a cross between Monopoly, Clue and Arkham Horror. It also predates similar cooperative games that I know of by many years. The listed price: $1.

While I browsed their wares, the two ladies running the sale started quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a film my sisters and I watched so often in our childhood we had it near-memorized. We chatted a little, I paid the dollar and a quarter and went on my way.

As for Persepolis; it's a graphic memoir with basic-yet-quality artwork and a unique style. The story regards Iranian politics as seen through the eyes of a child. Despite the engaging characters and format, it took me a year to get through because at the time I'd dedicated myself to reviewing every book I read and was far behind (admittedly, this makes little sense.) As a side-note, I watched the movie-version several years before and recommend it with equal (4-star) enthusiasm.

I have no conclusion but to say that this was the most lightly-surreal episode of my life and that feels pretty good.

Edited 3-28-2021

[enola · Rating 3 out of 5]

a well done journey to Iran and life there during the revolution (1979)
it also was funny so that's a plus
onto the next😘

pre-read:
#readingforschoolbutit'slowkeyfinecauseit'sacomicbook
I have to read all four books so you bet i'm gonna count them towards my reading challange👹

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this time for my Graphic Novels class with memoir work by her and Alison Bechdel and Corinne Mucha. This is deceptively good, in that it is a graphic memoir from the perspective of a woman looking back at her life as a young girl during the Iranian Revolution, in 1979. Why deceptive? Because it's in the form of a slightly cartoony comic book that one could mistake for trivial, at a glance. It's not in the least bit trivial. It's interesting to read this during the time of the continuing 2015 Charlie Hebdo story in Paris, where Satrapi now lives. Her liberal and relatively well-off family in Iran did not support the use of the veil, she makes fun of it with her friends in various ways in the book, and now she lives in a city that bans the veil though she does not support that ban. Lots of layers going on here. Complicated, or parts of it are complicated. Maybe all of it is, I don't know.

The book was banned by Lane Tech Middle School a few years ago in Chicago for showing images of torture to 7th graders some parents felt were too graphic for that age group. I didn't think those images were very graphic, even for 7th graders, but I also have been working with Sarah Donovan who wrote a dissertation on the importance of teaching genocide literature to middle schoolers, which she does and does amazingly. I do think I would not read Persepolis with my elementary school kids, so I myself have lines I wouldn't yet cross, but on the whole I side against the book censorers in this and most any other case, of course.

What makes the book work in spite of some pretty disturbing details from her life is that the style is quite stylized and cartoony, and it's a story told in terms of a little girl, mostly, so it sort of mutes the effect of the fundamentalist siege in a way rather than amplifies it. We see it from her point of view rather than from, say, her mother's point of view. Or her uncle's. But bad things happen to her family and the country, things that the world were aware of through the news at the time, and she specifies these things. It's one story of fundamentalism and fascism that we are still dealing with today and its useful to see her version of it, and useful to see that it is banned in various places while taking what seems to me a fairly uncontroversial perspective on these events.We have history book accounts no one probably knows about in this country at all anymore, so this personal account introduces a new generation to these events.

But I can see why (f not justify) the book was and is being banned by some countries/political groups, because it does take a political position that may be unpopular for some, and that's just what people do when they disagree with stuff, they ban it, which is very useful for worldwide book sales, of course. One of my Iranian-American students once told me she hated it because it was so one-sidedly against the Shah. But for me it is still powerful to read. And much different than what Satrapi deals with in what seems to me a less satisfying second volume of her story.

[Melania 🍒 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25/5

||The Read Harder Challenge 2018 - A comic (graphic novel) written and illustrated by the same person ||

[Rodrigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante la visión de MARJANE sobre los cambios que se han ido produciendo en Persia la actual Irán.
6/10

[Leyla Shahbazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب روان و کم حجمی هست در دو ساعت میشه تمومش کرد نوشته ها مصور هستن که خاطرات نویسنده از سال‌های قبل از انقلاب و بعد اون رو روایت میکنه.  کتاب سعی داره تاثیر انقلاب اسلامی ایران رو بر روی جامعه و مردم، تغییر و تحول خاستگاه انقلاب رو قبل و بعد از پیروزی و همچنین فاصله دید و تفکر انقلابیون رو از مردم بررسی کنه.
نمیدونم اینکه نویسنده مدعی بود رضاخان دنبال تشکیل جمهوری بوده و نه شاهنشاهی چقدر حقیقت داره اونجایی که گفته بود رضاخان بی سواد بود و با گاندی و آتاتورک مقایسه ش کرده بود هر چند همه اینها درسته ولی خب به نظر من رضاخان هم اقدامات در خور تحسینی داشت که نویسنده ذکر نکرده بود و فقط او رو عمله انگلستان دونسته بود و با توجه به اینکه پدربزرگ مادری ش از شاهزادگان قاجار بوده و عموی پدرش و عموی خودش جز فرقه جدایی طلب آذربایجان بودن قطعا این موارد در سوگیری نویسنده نقش داشتن ولی با همه اینها نویسنده تونسته بود بی طرفی خودش رو تا حدی حفظ کنه.
اون خاطراتی از کودکی ش آرزو داشت پیامبر بشه برام خیلی شیرین بود.

[Andrea Manzanilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Challenge 2016: Una autobiografía

3.25/5

Una forma entretenida de adentrarte en la vida de la autora.

Al ser una persona visual este autobiografía llamo mi atención desde hace algún tiempo. Ademas que me parece que esta forma ayuda a trasmitir mejor el mensaje que quiere trasmitir la autora.

En este primer volumen se nos introduce en la vida de la autora a la edad de los 10 años, lo que se nota en la forma tan ingenua de narrar los hechos y sus acciones. Nos explica los problemas de su país y como influía en su dinámica familiar. Al vivir en un país que esta pasando por una grave crisis me identifico con dicha historia.

Este primer volumen da una buena base para los siguientes volúmenes. Seguiré leyendo los siguientes volúmenes, ya que se leen bastante rápido y en mi opinión son interesantes.

Si eres como yo y no te gusta mucho este tipo de genero, este seria un gran libro para comenzar a introducirse en las autobiografías.

[Ruel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the Islamic Revolution in Iran during the late 70s/early 80s, as seen through the eyes of a young Marjane Satrapi. She's a precocious and inquisitive girl living in a tumultuous time. I loved the black-and-white drawings in this graphic novel; the artwork could be understated and haunting at the same time, from everyday situations at school to graphic images of torture and war. As the new ruling party fundamentalists begin forcing citizens to conform to a more rigid code of dress and behavior, the artwork took on an increasingly introspective tone.

Persepolis is a sad coming-of-age story set during much strife and social upheaval. It's a compelling and important read, one that manages to humanize the casualties as well as the survivors of war.

[Josu Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debo decir que la nota debería de ser algo intermedio entre el 3.5 y el 4. Aun y todo, creo que se acercaría más a esta última cifra. La inocencia con la que se cuenta todo es brutal y hace ver que las cosas no son como las pintan (aunque bueno, eso es algo que sabemos, pero que aquí se muestra de una manera genial).

[Fereshteh · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی از خارجی ها ایران رو با این کتاب (یا فیلمش) کشف کردند ...

ساتراپی تو جلد اول از مجموعه 4 جلدی پرسپولیس در قالب تصویر و از زاویه دید یه دختر بچه (خود نویسنده) که کودکیش با شروع زمزمه های انقلاب متقارن شده و تو خانواده ای فعال سیاسی زندگی می کنه با طنز شیرینی به روایت ایران معاصر پرداخته

کتاب فوق العاده شیرینیه و خوندنش به همه توصیه میشه

[Loredana (Bookinista08) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nu am absolut nimic de reproșat acestui roman grafic! Povestea se îmbină perfect cu imaginile, iar faptul că totul este prezentat prin ochii fetiței Marjane face ca ororile războiului să aibă un impact și mai puternic asupra cititorului. Superb! Recomand din toată inima!

[Zahra Naderi · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب خاطرات مصورِ مرجان ساتراپى ست از دوران كودكى ش كه همزمان با انقلاب و جنگ بوده ست. نكته ى جذّاب كتاب همين مصور بودن و كميك وار بودن ش ه، اون قدر كه باعث مى شه يك نفس تا آخر بخونيدش و به راحتى از قسمت هاى كسل كننده ش چشم بپوشيد.
اول كتاب با مقدمه ى فوق العاده جهت دار سياسىِ مترجم شروع شد كه يك تندروى رو به ذهن القا مى كنه. باعث شد فكر كنم كه قراره توى كل كتاب با همين ديد جهت دار مواجه بشم.

كتاب، هرچند خيلى ملايم تر ولى جهت داره و به دليل همين جهت دار بودن، من ترجيح مى دم به عنوان يك سرى خاطرات و برداشت شخصى باش برخورد كنم تا «تاريخ». اگه با ديد تاريخى به ش نگاه كنم مى شه خيلى بخش هاش رو نقد كرد و زير سوال برد.

با اين كه معتقدم ايده ى جذابى داره اين كتاب، چون متنفرم از اختلاط سياست و اين گونه كتاب هاى ادبى كه به وضوح براى برترى دادن يك جهان بينى سياسى و گاهى به دور از انصاف و واقعيت نوشته مى شن، از اين كتاب چندان خوش م نيومد.

[Sheziss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crítica Persépolis Integral

[Anto Tilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imposible no engancharse con la historia de Marji.
La bronca que genera todo contado desde la perspectiva de una nena y la doble moral que reina también.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comics format, the dry humor, the frankness, the child / adolescent / young woman point of view - all of them lessen a little the tragic history of Iran and its population.

[Mar Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful countries gambling with the lives of citizens of other vulnerable countries...

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nu sunt topită după benzile desenate, dar aceasta este superbă! Deși am mai citit cărți pe această temă, niciuna nu pare a fi mai bună decât o autobiografie.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't seen the award-winning animated film by the same name, and my knowledge of Iranian history is somewhat spotty, but I knew that this would not be a light-hearted narrative, and I was right. It's a graphic novel account of Satrapi's childhood in Iran during the Islamic revolution and war with Iraq. She comes of age, wishing to express herself through her clothing choices, music, and words, at the same time that restrictions become the most intense. Set in a backdrop of arrests, executions, and bombings, it is a grim but important story.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nu sunt genul care sa se lase usor impresionată, însă acest roman a reusit sa ma zguduie usor. Toate acele atrocități, nedreptăți, proteste au avut un impact si mai mare asupra mea stiind ca toți acei oameni morți sau torturați au existat cândva. Am împrumutat această carte de la bibliotecă cu gândul că am luat o cartulie pentru copii, când colo, m-am trezit cu un adevărat roman despre supraviețuire si demnitate.

[Charlie]

reading in French!

[♡Samr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde la perspectiva de Marjane a los 10 años se cuenta como era la atmósfera en Iran con la caída del Sha de Persia y el inicio de la Revolución Islámica!

La inocencia e ingenuidad con la que se cuanta la historia me parace algo desgarrador, porque si hay cosas fuertes que te dejan shoqueada.

No es una novela gráfica con el mejor arte, pero se transmite de manera magistral los sentimientos de los personajes y hace que logres empatizar con ellos.

Es una novela muy dura, cruda y necesaria!

[Ebba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! An excellent portration of the revolution in Iran. It's not a revolution that I know a ton about so it was great to see it from this perspective. This volume was sad but also heart warming at times and Satrapi has a fantastic way of telling her story through comic book form. Personal yet full of important information and very unique. Higly recommend!

[Наталія · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never thought a graphic novel would make me cry but it did.

[Nona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian-born graphic novelist who grew up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. She was barely a child when the events started and didn't understand much except for what her parents and her school told her - often conflicting accounts, as the school enforced the governmental position, while her parents were sort of revolutionaries (though not really).

The events are told from little Marjane's perspective, not from the adult's - much like "Anne Frank's Diary", real life is filtered through the eyes of a child, who is more sheltered from reality and only catches snippets of it, which she interprets through her lens. As such, Marjane goes from a co-dependent relationship with her god to questioning her religion, from idealizing revolutionaries and despising her father for not taking action to understanding fear.

This is not a romanticized account - the author doesn't shy away from showing that her child-self could also be irritating (extremely so, multiple times), a bully, a liar, occasionally completely disrespectful towards her parents. A realistic view of what childhood, especially in an opresive environment, could mean. I recognized some behaviors, I even exhibited some of the same behaviors myself when I was a child, so I try not to judge Marji harshly through adult eyes.

I find it horrifical how Iran could transition from the libertarian, modern society of the 70s to the current state of things. It's an example of how fast things can change if people let extremists (of any shape) take charge. From a historical perspective, this graphic novel is valuable in showing this transition through the eyes of someone who lived during those events (even is she's an unreliable narrator, due to her age).

From a humane perspective, though, I didn't particularly feel the emotion. I know it's sad, horrible, I feel the outrage, but the book itself did not manage to transmit it - I don't think graphic novels are the best medium to convey such a story. I'm also not a fan of B&W drawings (probably why manga is also not for me), and due to this, I didn't particularly get to form a connection with the characters.

[Գրետա Մանուկյան · Rating 5 out of 5]

:<

[shems · Rating 5 out of 5]

je vais pleurer et je ne suis qu’au premier tome

[Seburath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es increíble que dibujos tan simples puedan transmitir tanto, es un método perfecto para mostrar la confusión de una niña frente a un mundo tan caótico como el Irán de la revolución islámica.

La novela gráfica está llena de contradicciones y es la primera vez que veo brillante usar las contradicciones como una forma de narrar una historia, todo desde el punto de vista de una niña que trata de entender un mundo político extremista y cambiante.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annotation: In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi writes about and illustrates her childhood in 1970s and 80s Iran, between the ages of six and fourteen. Her illustrations are heavy line drawings done in the style of comic strips, and their content details her daily life and family history against a dramatic backdrop of the Shah’s regime, the Islamic Revolution, and the war with Iraq. Marjane herself--ever fiery, sharp, outspoken and determined--serves as the protagonist, while supporting characters heavily feature her family, friends, and Tehran neighborhood and school. This installment of Persepolis ends as her parents decide to send teenage Marjane, a rebel and therefore a potential target for the fundamentalists in power, to school in Austria in the hope of a better education and a better future.

Analysis: Satrapi skillfully tells two intertwined stories in one--the story of her own coming of age and intellectual and moral awakenings along with the social and political history of her country--and her dramatic black-and-white illustrations vividly capture the juxtaposition of and intersections between the two. Ordinary revelations of growing up arrive hand in hand with atrocities that no child should have to witness or contemplate. Among the former, young Marjane confronts social class in considering the role and life of her family’s young maid and her friend, Mehri. Among the latter, she grapples with the notion of justified murder when her schoolmate brags about how many communists his father has killed and reasons that it is acceptable to kill bad people, or when she learns of the prison torture of her own family members and those of her schoolmates.

Sometimes the ordinary and the horrific are depicted in the very same illustration, as when the explosion of young boys in the minefields abuts Marjane’s first experience of a party. Sometimes the horrific follows closely on the heels of the ordinary, as when her shopping trip for punky new clothes and forbidden music ends with the discovery that a bomb has fallen on her neighborhood and the sight of her dead friend’s braceleted arm poking out of the rubble. Here and throughout, the picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Young readers, whether or not they have experienced oppression or the horrors of war firsthand, will identify with Marjane, both as a budding rebel and would-be revolutionary and as a normal teen with normal developmental needs. When her parents take advantage of a rare chance to travel with a trip to Turkey, she concerns herself most with what they will buy and bring back for her, and she revels in flouting the Islamist dress code by wearing western clothes and painting her nails. She also sneaks into political protests as a young girl, speaks out fearlessly in class, and rails against hypocrisy wherever she finds it. Readers will feel for her and see themselves in her vacillation between independence and need for her family, culminating in her parents’ decision to send her alone to school in Austria at age fourteen. She feels simultaneously excited and nervous, as any teen would in her position, and she recognizes that her life will never be the same again. Though her parents assure her they will join her soon, she doubts them, tacitly acknowledging that the war and the political situation at home have forced her to grow up early and effectively become an adult. While the text at the story’s close remains emotionally reserved, the final illustration of Marjane’s mother collapsing into her father’s arms after bidding her farewell to Vienna powerfully captures the gravity of the moment and entices readers to follow her into the next installment to find out what awaits in her new life.