Editorial Reviews

After a series of unfortunate choices and events leave her literally living in the street for three months, Marjane decides to return to her native Iran. Here, she is reunited with her family, whose liberalism and emphasis on Marjane's personal worth exert as strong an influence as the eye-popping wonders of Europe. Having grown accustomed to recreational drugs, partying, and dating, Marjane now dons a veil and adjusts to a society officially divided by gender and guided by fundamentalism. Emboldened by the example of her feisty grandmother, she tests the bounds of the morality enforced on the streets and in the classrooms. With a new appreciation for the political and spiritual struggles of her fellow Iranians, she comes to understand that "one person leaving her house while asking herself, 'is my veil in place?' no longer asks herself 'where is my freedom of speech?'"

Satrapi's starkly monochromatic drawing style and the keenly observed facial expressions of her characters provide the ideal graphic environment from which to appeal to our sympathies. Bereft of fine detail, this graphic novel guides the reader's attention instead toward a narrative rich with empathy. Don't be fooled by the glowering self-portrait of the author on the back flap; it’s nearly impossible to read Persepolis 2 without feeling warmth toward Marjane Satrapi. --Ryan Boudinot

Customer Reviews

Persepolis 2, 2008-11-24
by A. Reese (United States)

This sequel to Persepolis was just as powerful as the original, detailing Marjane's difficulties as an immigrant in a new country. Her life in Austria gets off to a rough start as she ends up boarding at a Catholic school where she knows no one. When she finally finds friends, she ends up taking drugs, and at one point lives on the street as a homeless person. After hitting rock bottom, she returns to Iran only to find out that she doesn't fit in there anymore.

I liked Persepolis 2, and found her story of life as a teenager in Austria and Iran to be fascinating. I have to say that I did prefer Persepolis over the sequel, because the sweet innocence and crazy hijinx of the younger Marjane was enchanting and heartbreaking at the same time. As far as the skill of the art and storytelling, it completely lived up to the first book.

Inside Iran Persepolis 1 & 2, 2008-09-02
by Beth Williamson (Huntsville TX USA)

Graphic novel comes of age. This is the first novel I have seen by a writer trained as a graphic artist. It is wonderful!

Be very careful before buying this book, 2008-06-16
by Martygnc (North Carolina)

I loved Persepolis, so when I realized there was a Persepolis 2, I quickly bought a used copy from Amazon. When I received it, I was very disappointed to learn that I had already read it! Although my first book was entitled Persepolis, it contained both stories. Check your copy of Persepolis before you buy the sequel; you may have read it!

The Charm Wears Thin, 2008-06-07
by Lynn Hoffman, author:The New Short Course in Wine

The first novel in this series succeeded because its childlike graphics and gee-whiz storytelling matched perfectly with this subject matter. We could imagine the infant/child author telling her story in exactly these terms.
This sequel fails because the issues of growing up and dealing with the disillusionment with one's own culture are much more subtle. The story and the graphics remind us constantly of the nuances that are left out, of the issues of women's rights and humanity that are sentimentalized, of the real conflicts that this child/woman is undergoing that are completely unexplored.
There are a few quibbles to be explored: the view of vienna is odd and the little vignette of the narrator peeing standing up seems forced. But most importantly, the mismatch between the story and the way in which it is told ends up making for a read that turns boring quickly.

Good Insight to a World I Do Not Know, 2008-05-18
by ME (Boston, MA USA)

I call myself a history buff but in reality I really only know American history with a little knowledge of King Henry VIII. I was 18 when Iranian crisis started. This book gave me a better insight to the overall issues behind this area than any other reading I had done, which I admit is not vast. The difference here was this book laid things out in such an engaging way I was totally engrossed. The author was both straight foward and insightful, along with quite humorous.