Book Review: The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

After a two-year hiatus, I finally picked up a book again. Balancing a full-time career, the demands of parenting, and running a household has made it challenging to carve out time for reading. But I've finally found a rhythm, and I hope to stay on track as I tackle the ever-growing list of books I seem to add to each year.

I started The Complete Persepolis just before our move from Singapore to India, but life quickly got in the way. My Kindle was soon forgotten, buried somewhere amidst the chaos of relocation. But the bookworm in me refused to stay dormant for long. After some intentional restructuring of my routine, I've managed to set aside 30 minutes each day exclusively for reading. The direct result of that effort is this review! I'll admit that I'm feeling rather pleased with myself 😊

Persepolis is a series of autobiographical graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi, chronicling her childhood and early adulthood in Iran and Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution. The title refers to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. The Complete Persepolis combines Persepolis (2003) and Persepolis 2 (2004) into a single volume.

Synopsis

Iranian-born Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis is a powerful coming-of-age memoir told through comic strips, set in Tehran against the backdrop of the turbulent Islamic Revolution. Born to progressive and liberal parents, the outspoken and rebellious Marjane grapples with the harsh realities of civil liberties and women’s rights suppression under the fundamentalist regime following the Shah's overthrow. The Iran-Iraq war brings unrest, devastation and death, some striking close to home, eventually leading her parents to make the heartbreaking decision to send her to Vienna at the age of 14 for her own safety. Thrust into a foreign culture and left to navigate the trials and tribulations of adolescence alone, Marjane struggles with a profound identity crisis. After becoming homeless and suffering a life-threatening respiratory illness, she returns to Iran, only to confront once again the oppressive morality police, patriarchal norms, and societal repression. It all culminates in the painful realization for Marjane that Iran can no longer serve as her home.

A Spring to Remember: Exploring Japan During Cherry Blossom Season

It has been a while since I’ve shared a travel story here. Life after my big move has been a whirlwind of changes, and honestly, I haven’t been able to blog the way I used to in Singapore. But to be clear, I have not given up on my virtual home. I’ve poured years of effort into it and I’m not about to let that go 😊

Ideally, I would have wrapped up my North America travel series before diving into Japan. But with cherry blossom season around the corner, my IG content on Japan has been gaining traction. Friends and family have also been asking for Japan travel tips, so I figured - why not ride the sakura wave? 🌸

Japan had been on my bucket-list for ages. We had even finalised a trip to the country back in the spring of 2011 which unfortunately did not materialise due to the devastating tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. With the Singapore government issuing a travel advisory for their citizens and residents to avoid all travel to Japan, we had no choice but to cancel all our bookings and swallow our feelings of deep disappointment. 

So, when a golden opportunity came my way last year, I was determined to make the most of it. I already had a well-researched and detailed Japan itinerary from 2011, and while I had to make a few adjustments to accommodate my elderly parents and young children this time, it proved quite useful.

I'm capturing my experiences on this holiday in this blog post because some memories are simply too precious to go unrecorded. I hope that whenever my children revisit these recollections, they spark the same joy and nostalgia in them as they do in me.

Japan: Spring 2024

Tokyo: The City That Never Sleeps

Our Japan adventure began in Tokyo, and what better way to get a bird’s-eye view of this buzzing metropolis than from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office? The South Tower observation deck offers spectacular nighttime skyline views. 

The reason we specifically booked our trip to Japan in spring (April) was the real highlight of our trip so once in the country, we didn't waste any time getting to it. 

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. The cherry blossom, or "sakura" symbolises the arrival of spring, new beginnings, and the fleeting nature of life, which is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture. 

It isn't just the Japanese, but tourists from around the world flock to Japan to appreciate the beauty of the blossoms during their short blooming period which emphasises the impermanence of beauty and the importance of cherishing the present moment.