One Big Book Club—2009-2010 Selection
Persepolis II:
The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
Why are we reading this particular book?
Pantheon Books describes Persepolis II, “In 1984, Marjane
flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life
in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence
far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves
out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders,
she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging. Finding
that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns
to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her
to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone
in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure
in Austria.
Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her
until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and
begins studying art at a university. However, the repression
and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question
whether she can have a future in Iran. As funny and poignant
as its predecessor, Persepolis II is another clear-eyed and
searing condemnation of the human cost of fundamentalism. In
its depiction of the struggles of growing up—here compounded
by Marjane’s status as an outsider both abroad and at
home—it is raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.”