Persepolis 2 + Ordinary Victories

For this week I read a good portion of Persepolis 2 since I had read the first book previously, and Ordinary Victories.

Persepolis 2 was a little different than Persepolis 1. Where Persepolis 1 seemed to focus more on Marji learning through her own mistakes, where as in this 2nd book she's starting to figure out things without having to be reprimanded for it. I feel that her story really mostly focuses on being separated from family for the first time, and how to adjust to these new freedoms, both due to being away from parents and from being out of Iran. This book reads very much like a novel and is very dense in text compared to some of the other works I've read. However, I feel in this book it is necessary for her to use more because she really is documenting heavy internal struggles with her friendships, relationships, living situations, and just general response to her environment. I wasn't able to get to the end of this one, but I plan on finishing it up soon. I feel one of the key moments that I was able to relate to was Marji's return to Iran after having her plans crumble at the hands of her cheating ex, and suddenly realizing how different everything was. As a student from out of state, returning home for me after spending the first semester here was a strange experience, because although it was a familiar place it still felt very foreign.

Ordinary Victories was a story that started out light-hearted enough but fell into some darker themes throughout. Marco is very stubborn, very attached to the way things are currently and not exactly looking to rock the boat anytime soon. Most notably his strangely endearing back and forth with his brother, calling each other by George, and through his relationship where he feels like he's rushing by moving in with his girlfriend. For the most part to enact any change he needs a pretty big catalyst. The first really truly noticeable change in him happens when Adolf gets shot by the overly aggressive and protective farmer near his house. At this point his shift into being able to change and listen to other people becomes pertinent to the story moving along. I feel what I was most able to relate to in this story was his actual career path as a showing gallery artist. The difference between personal connection and perception of others regarding artwork, especially photography, can be a tender subject. Although he is very proud of his work, specifically because it is different and close to him, the documentary photographers he looks up to don't see it as something even remotely interesting because it doesn't deal with any sort of international upset. I feel as though sometimes we are expected to work towards what everyone else wants to see rather than what is of personal interest to us. However, the perseverance of Marco to continue to not only shoot but really learn more about his subjects was a great viewpoint on how the world of documentary photography really should be. I don't believe that photography has to be something that deals with social causes necessarily, although it may inadvertently do so. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I'm definitely interested in reading the 2nd book.