? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

The CompletePersepolis by Marjane Satrapi: A rebellious teenager tells the story of Iran’s upheaval and her experience as a young immigrant in the West. Divided into two parts and set between post-Islamic Revolution Iran and France, this funny graphic novel starts from Satrapi’s youth as a child of Marxist parents studying in a French private school in Tehran. Through the visually appealing medium, Satrapi gives us a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the citizens living in the Islamic country. From the marches that led to the overthrow of the Shah, the trickling loss of power to the Islamic regime, to the restrictions on private life that Iranian citizens continue to grapple with today. Look for her experience of the Iran-Iraq war, her uncle that eventually finds himself in the clutches of the regime, her efforts to smuggle Michael Jackson’s latest tape (remember those?) to her final act of rebellion at school that forces her parents to sent her to study in the West to protect her from arrest. The beauty of the novel is its juxtaposition of her life growing up as she tries to normalize her experience as a child alongside the political turmoil overturning her country, and eventually shows the obstacles she faced as an immigrant.

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