Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was good. Marjane Satrapi is a talented artist, story-boarder, and narrator. Before getting into this, I thought the art style was simple to the point of crudeness, but now I have a hard time imagining it any other way. It’s surprising how evocative eyes drawn with just a circle and a dot can be. She has somehow made all the characters and events feel very human, multi-layered, and complex, despite the simplifying/condensing/caricaturing that often comes about in the comic medium. For some reason, I am particularly enamored with her portrayal of children and their dialogue — somehow she has captured that naive innocence with a deftness that defies her age and her life experiences.

Other than that, I finally understand what Jess meant when she said that reading novels and stories helps her understand history better than news or non-fiction could.