Zahra's Paradise

The strength of journalism in the form of comics is its ability to convey the affective aspects of political events – sometimes in a very convincing manner.  More than documentary film, comics (such as those by Joe Sacco) can be thoroughly selective, presenting a subjective world view -- entirely foreign to ours -- in a way that can amplify the voices of marginalized people.  The two pseudonymous authors of this barely-fictional tale, convey not only the excitement of the Iranian uprising, but also the social conditions and traditions that shape life in today’s Iran.  
–H. Pisciotta

The anonymous writers have written a story of a mother’s hunt for her lost son – a story we already know the ending.  The 2009 protests in Iran serve as a vivid backdrop of a corrupt government that is consuming its own people.  The amateurish drawings are a hindrance to the storytelling and could have been more polished, but the thin-lined, doodling style does not dull any of the sharpness of the dialogue or the sadness of the tale.  I thought after reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis I knew about the despotism of the Iranian government.  This novel revealed a more perverse level of a government that wields supreme power. –G. Masuchika

The strength of journalism in the form of comics is its ability to convey the affective aspects of political events – sometimes in a very convincing manner.  More than documentary film, comics (such as those by Joe Sacco) can be thoroughly selective, presenting a subjective world view—entirely foreign to ours—in a way that can amplify the voices of marginalized people.  The two pseudonymous authors of this barely-fictional tale, convey not only the excitement of the Iranian uprising, but also the social conditions and traditions that shape life in today’s Iran.
–S. Squier

This was a gripping, profoundly moving portrayal of trauma, torture, political persecution, defiance, and the inner workings of a repressive state. I was astounded by the artist’s ability to render the full range of human emotion—despair, hope, anger, love, and particularly grief in the final chapter—without turning resorting to one-dimensional caricatures or emotional manipulation. That the authors had to keep their identities anonymous makes the story even more compelling. Their courage in creating this graphic novel parallels the courageous acts depicted in the novel. I finished the novel wanting to learn more about Iran's history & current situation. 
–E. Prins