Persepolis: The story of a childhood

I started reading this book in the morning on Sunday and finished it by night. I just couldn't keep it down. An amazing graphical biography of a girl growing up in Iran during Islamic revolution. Growing up is a struggle, what if one has to grow up amidst of war, constantly seeing the neighbors bombed, uncles imprisoned and friends killed? How does an intelligent girl who knew what is going on takes it all? How does war changes the life of millions of people? This is what Satrapi tries to detail in this hilarious book. The book is written as a comic, her narration is minimal and she uses powerful sketches to communicate to the reader. With a little girls enthusiasm and innocence, she conveys the madness that goes around her.

Satrapi's parents are not religious,but their devotion to the country is unshakable. They witness relatives and friends move out of Iran to US or Europe, but they stay back in their country. He refuses to go away from his mother land to end up some where else as a taxi driver. Marji grow up luxuriously with her parents in the beginning, but towards the end we see the parents struggling to educate their child. The effect the war on people around is so obviously reflected in this story. Well informed and educated, they bring up Marji with a strong sense of freedom and independence.

The book also gives the peak into the life in Iran at the time of revolution and then the war with Iraq. “The revolution finally awakened the people of Iran” claims the regime while scores of people lay dead on the street. One fine morning, all bilingual schools are closed in the name of religion. So this little girl is plucked from her coeducational French school to an all girls school and made to wear veils. They didn't know why they have to wear it and innovate all sorts of things they can do with veils. She has hit the right chord in describing all these things very lightly at the same time, so humorously. I am not a history buff, but I have started developing a strong urge to read and learn history. This book has given me a push towards this direction.