Neil Fein's Blog

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
by Marjane Satrapi

In Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi told us, through vignettes and interlocked snips of her life in Iran, the story of growing up in a country beset by a revolutionary cabal in power, yet brought up by parents who valued free expression. Volume 2, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, is not about the escape from Iran so much as it is about Marjane's escape from her own insecurities.

The book is at once disappointing and enlightening. I felt, for the first time, that I understood why someone would continue to live in a country beset by a religious fundamentalist government. While Ms. Satrapi delves further into the history of her home country, the volume shines when she shows us her final decisions about where and how she will live her life in a true coming-of-age saga. Being a cosmopolitan Iranian young woman in Europe is far more complicated a life than one might even suppose. This is illustrated particularly in scenes with an Islamic cleric who asks such questions as "did you wear the veil abroad?" and values her honest answer. Her secular education also proceeds, and scenes of life drawing of a woman whose body is hidden under layers of black cloth is both hilarious and pitiful.

While this feels like the middle chapter of a story, there have been no plans announced for a third chapter. Perhaps the author has yet to fully live it.

I heartily recommended this book to all, although you might get more out of it having read the first volume. The Persepolis saga fits easily in company with such works as Maus, A Contract with God, V for Vendetta, and Sandman.

books

The iMac G5 I usually post from (when I'm at home) has been in the shop, for the past week-and-a-half. To those who would like to think that Macs never break, well... I've been getting email and such from various Windows laptops lately. Will be very happy to get back to the Mac I'm used to. Maybe it'll be ready when we get back to New Jersey? Eh.

There's been a lot of talk about the Intel switch, and honestly I don't see the big deal in it. Yes, it will be a technical issue to overcome, but users shouldn't see much beyond faster, cheaper Macs.

Spider Robinson is singing softly in my ear, from the CD Belaboring the Obvious (rather good aside from the non-music bits I've been skipping over).

As I sit here in Connecticut on a Windows laptop, I say to all,have fun with what's left of the weekend. It'll be Monday morning before you know it! (I like closing these posts with cheery thoughts.)

travel, Macintosh

Sorry for the lack of Bloggage lately (some might call it blagging, no doubt). My iMac has been in for repair for over a week, and I'll likely not get it back for another week. I have three book reviews I need to write and get up; they've been piling up on a stool in my studio. (A book review is more than I can do on a lunch hour.) Maybe if Martha gets her laptop's modem fixed, and I could log on from that...? (Hint, hint.)

We got a file cabinet! Really, it was one of those please-get-this-out-of-my-house things (check out Freecycle), but we stuffed it into my trunk well enough. It still has a scar from where the trunk catch scratched it going in. And it was rusty on the bottom inch or so; the basement it was in may have been prone to flooding.

Home Depot sold us too much paint, and it is now an Almond file cabinet, with no (visible) rust. It's been drying in the basement, and I must get myself to bring it upstairs, where it will live. Housing our paid bills and such.

What else... Oh, yeah; we finally finished watching all of Babylon 5. It's kinda sad now that it's over.

Have been writing a song, since I have no computer with which to record. And I'd go crazy if I didn't do something music-related, even if it's just noodling on a guitar or piano.

I have a four-day weekend coming up in... four hours and change. Plans include Connecticut, gaming, Sharon, alcohol, swimming, and breathing. Not all at once.

blog, Home, music, travel