A small subtle book, coming back to this book as a (at least relatively) more mature woman, I find a sumptuous feast of material where once I only saw a somewhat odd/novel followup to Persepolis. While Satrapi certainly could have gone the factual and plotted route of things, that would have been stepping back from Persepolis rather than stepping forward. Retreating rather than digging deeper, not only into her subject matter, but also deeper into the art of what she is creating with her art.

While Persepolise 1 certainly was a daring work, I'm sure the story was much more palatable to many people because it was about a little girl who was not overtly sexual. Mot average people just don't want to talk about sexually active women. At least not in a positive and/or everyday light. They certainly don't want to think of their mothers, aunts and grandmothers and what they may or may not be seeing or doing. It's certainly the kind of book that will rub a lot of people's arbitrary sensibilities the wrong way, and the troll in me applauds Satrapi for this act of daring alone.

But, as a whole, there's a whole lot more here to appreciate then just shocking the conservative cultural norms of the west. I also really appreciate the easy nuance and personhood it brings to Satrapi's family. These women are not just civilians, not just subjects, not just foreigners or even terrorists as some would have us believe. They are everyday women, but with their own personal twists - nothing terribly exotic about it. The stories that these women have to tell are human stories, full of weirdness and silly details, losers and heart break.

As usual, Satrapi's artwork continues to express so much - even though she is working with such simple elements. Her faces are so strong and expressive. Every detail communicating something about the person beneath. I've certainly drunk the kool-aid on this one, so maybe it's a complete waste of time, but I would highly recommend that you read this too.