For those who care to hear my review of Salam Pax diary, here it goes:
I tremendously enjoyed the first few chapters of the book; the writing was amusing, witty and very smart. As I ventured further into the diary, the writing became somehow repetitious. Salam’s political ramblings bored me to the extent that I had to skip some pages in pursuit of something more engaging.
I think Salam Pax excelled better when he was writing mainly for his friend Raed and not for a mass audience. His writing felt somehow more genuine back then. He started losing his edge the minute he became a world-wide celebrity.
Still on the topic of reading, the book that I’m carrying around nowadays is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
I’m already half way through and so far it is proving to be a delight. It is a black and white illustrated novel, or comic book, that tells the story of an Iranian girl who grew up in the country during the political turmoil of the Shah’s overthrow, the Islamic revolution and the war with Iraq. It is a whimsical tale of social and political contradictions that Iranian society suffers from still. It really is a treat.
Its sequel, Persepolis II, is already out there. I must put my hands on it soon.