The only thing certain is sentiment and politics

Few people alive today can count themselves as fortunate as Marjane Satrapi; writing a best-selling memoir (as a black-and-white graphic novel, no less!) is, as we all know, an arduous process in which only a few can truly hack it, but that accomplishment seems moot compared to the trials she endured for many years growing up in Iran during the 1980's.

Marjane's home was a country seemingly bent on destroying itself, where nightly raids, arrests, and bombings only strengthened the resolves (and hastened the graves) of the power-seeking fundamentalists in one revolution and the nationalistic puppets of another war. Caught in the middle were any souls brave enough to challenge the oppressors, and anyone else unlucky enough to be caught in the daily crossfire. The horrors were such that young Marjane Satrapi would not (and could not) have persevered and survived without the support of a family as strong as hers.

Marjane was blessed to have had two intelligent, strong parents such as hers. Using non-violence to fight the oppressors in secret, all the while instilling their only daughter with the identity and wits to survive, Marjane's mother and father are the moral compass who promise her a better tomorrow, and give her the tools to make it so.

Marjane also has invaluable role models in her uncle Anoosh (a political prisoner for nine years and later killed by the Islamic Republic) and her grandmother (who gives Marjane a sense of national pride and heritage). A bond as strong as the one Marjane has with her parents and extended family keep her alive and safe, even as the world around them succumbs to senselessness.

I do not believe that Marjane would ever agree with her father's declaration that "sentiment and politics do not mix." Growing up during one of the most turbulent periods in modern civilization, Marjane Satrapi could only hope to find happiness and a chance to live through the love of her family.

Having lost countless friends and family during those violent years, Marjane nevertheless lost sight of the bright future ahead of her. Though it is uncertain that she could have imagined becoming a world-renowned author back in the age of "Jichael Mackson" (a "punk" symbol of Western decadence to the oppressors), Marjane Saptrapi was practically rescued by sentiment, a stronger ally against any enemy or politics.