RR#2 Persepolis

-->

               Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi is not only a well-written novel, but also a window of insight into the Islamic Revolution through a young girl as she matures. As the political turn oil worsens in Iran and a war arises people are forced to take sides. With the U.S embassy taken over and all Americans deported back to the United States Marjane starts to feel the enormity of what is happening, though she does in fact decided that the war is a good thing due to her fathers influential opinion. However with boys from her school being drafted into the war with promises of salvation for being martyrs, Marjane is starting to become confused as to if this war is a good thing for the country after all. This doubt is cemented later from her cousin Shahab, who visits from the front lines of the war, and tells Marjane how these young boys are being sent into mind fields leading to their gruesome death.  The war continues to get worse and many lives are lost including her uncle Taher who could not obtain a passport in time to leave the country for his life saving open-heart surgery. After flashing forward a year we see a Marjane who is much more grown up and has her own ideals that are not simply mirrored versions of her parents.  She is now a rebel, trying to dress how she wants even at the cost of her own possible arrest. Marjane is now a different girl, she has seen loved ones and friends die, and has grown to resent the laws of the government she is forced to live by. With heavy hearts her parents send her away from the country for her safety in hopes she will be able to live a much safer life in Austria.   
                 This war starting off of what was thought to be a good thing by Marjane and her family was soon proven to be a violent, dangerous nightmare for the country and those who lived there. With Marjane becoming a rebel with such powerful opinions and desire to stand up for what she believes in it was a smart decision for her parents to send her away to school in another country. There she will be able to express herself and voice her opinions without having to fear prosecution. As they send her away her mother fainted, showing that this decisions was a hard one for her parents to make, to send away their only child to another country without them. As hard as it was for them it was selfless in the way of it was the best, and safest choice for their daughter. The characters in the novel through words and pictures really are developed enough to give us an excellent understanding of their true nature. With so many events happening in such a short amount of pages the author is really able to encompass the varying social and governing states of Iran through the Islamic Revolution. Throughout the novel it is so engrossing to follow the journey of how this young girl grows up. Finding her way in life seemed to be a journey the reader embarked on with her. From the young naive girl desperate for answers, to the opinion searching young lady, and finally to the woman who knows what she deems right and wrong, it is truly a coming of age journey.