Woman, life, freedom

Satrapi (Persepolis) brings together a sweeping anthology of political essays in comics form that takes its title from the protest chant of the feminist uprising in Iran following the 2022 beating to death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police for wearing her head covering "improperly." In entries representing the stunning breadth and vitality of the Iranian resistance movement, the government's oppression of women is framed as just one symptom of a diseased and dying system. "The guy who wants to control your body and your life also wants to control what you're thinking and not thinking.... It's not just about the veil," warn Bahareh Akrami and Farid Vahid in the volume's opener, "Sparking a Revolution." The following sections dig into state censorship and spy networks; the brutality of the Revolutionary Guards; the abuses in Evin prison, a "hellhole" where the incarcerated are forced into false confessions; the corruption represented by "the aghazadeh," high-living young elites; and the "Blue Girl," a female soccer fan, imprisoned for attending a match, who self-immolated in protest. The impressive spectrum of art ranges from Par Mana Neyestani's claustrophobic crosshatching, to Joann Sfar's charmingly loose lines, to Touka Neyestani's unforgettable caricature of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei strolling into a sea of blood. Interstitial drawings by Satrapi in her trademark, fiercely thick-lined style include a gorgeous portrait of Amini with her hair flowing like flames. The result is a stirring call for change that reminds readers "the art of rebellion is an everyday battle." (Mar.)

The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran. In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: "to explain what's going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible"; and "to remind Iranians that they are not alone." Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the "resolute defiance" that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: "The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations" over Amini's murder, "several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture." Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls' schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran's determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani. An impassioned message of rage and hope. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Introduction by Marjane Satrapi On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini was beaten to death by the Iranian morality police for wearing her veil "improperly." Her death sparked a nationwide outcry, evolving into a feminist revolution that gained the support of men--a truly unprecedented development. Sophie, the heart and soul of the L'Iconoclaste publishing house and my dear friend, was not content with mere outrage and indignation. She was determined to take tangible action, driven by how profoundly connected she felt to the young people of Iran. The idea of this book was hers. It would be her publishing house's first graphic novel and it would be titled: Woman, Life, Freedom . Joined by Alba Beccaria, the book's editor, we began to craft both its form and substance. We needed to work with people who knew Iran intimately. Among our chosen experts were Farid Vahid, a political scientist specializing in Iran at the Fondation Jean-Jaurès, Jean-Pierre Perrin, a seasoned reporter previously with Libération and now a contributor to Mediapart , and Professor Abbas Milani, a historian and Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. We then reached out to around twenty gifted artists to produce comics or illustrations based on texts and scenarios prepared by our experts. Four Iranian artists and thirteen others from Europe and America are the final contributors to this project. Having bid farewell to my career as a cartoonist back in 2004, I contributed a handful of drawings, including the cover, as well as a few written pieces. I didn't know what it meant to oversee the compilation of such a book, and in many ways I still don't, but what I do know is that this was truly a collaborative effort. The result is the volume you hold in your hands. It is being published simultaneously in several countries and made available free of charge online in Persian for all Iranians. Woman, Life, Freedom is driven by two aims. First, it seeks to explain what's going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible. While it's impossible to capture every facet of this story, we want to acknowledge its existence. Because it's happening now, even if we don't hear enough about it. The second aim of this book is to remind Iranians that they are not alone. Of course, the world's politicians are only politicians, and will do little, if anything, for the Iranian people. But Western civil society is committed to their cause. The proof is that most of the artists involved in this project are Westerners. And what greater support can an artist give than their art? On the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, for the brave and noble struggle of the Iranian people, and in memory of Sophie, who left us in late spring 2023, we offer our humble contribution to the pursuit of freedom that the people of Iran so profoundly merit. --Marjane Satrapi Excerpted from Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.