This moved up on my to-read list after I heard a terrific lecture by my colleague Zohre Soltani on the visual iconography of the Azadi Tower over the years. The book is a collection of comics about contemporary Iran — the protests, the crimes of the State, life among the diaspora. A few pieces also discuss the longer history, providing background and context. The variety of topics — and especially, the fact that quite a few talk about the life of Iranians abroad — is excellent, giving you the sense of approaching the question from a number of angles and perspectives, and seeing a much bigger picture. It’s the form of the edited collection at its best. And the variety of artistic styles is just so cool.
The book is, in many ways, devastating — so many people murdered, many of whom are so young. Cronus eating his children. But I tried to focus instead on the awe-inspiring courage and resilience the book portrays. People don’t give up. They keep fighting. You can’t help but have some hope, even if only a glimmer, seeing the irrepressible fight for a better world continue, even under the most brutal conditions. #WomanLifeFreedom
Kasia Reads 