This was such an excellent graphic memoir. This highlights Satrapi's personal experiences living through multiple regime changes in Iran. This covers so much history, while also talking realistically about the experiences of people who lived it. While it touches on the visceral traumas, it also addresses the mundane -- and how the two overlap in such a time. She also talks about the experience of immigration and her own internal cultural struggle. There are so many important things to be taken from this book, but it is all packaged wonderfully. It was engaging, animated, and frequently funny, even though it touches so much on difficult topics. So many people (and places) in her life stood out as such unique characters throughout the book. It was a really great reading experience over all. 

This was a stunning collection of poetry. It hits on themes surrounding race, gender, self-love, desire, and more. There is a range of emotion, ranging from nostalgic to tragic, often landing on bittersweet.

This was such an interesting read! I'm so glad that Jack Shamblin reached out to me to talk about this book. This preference art is fascinating! It's so thematically layered -- brilliant. I really enjoyed getting to see a bit about the creative process and background as well. I did feel a little lost with the discussion who was involved in making what, but that has more to do with my own unfamiliarity. This sort of art is so important but not discussed enough. I hope to learn more about folks who have taken their activism to the stage.

The character development that manifested and showed itself in vol 4 of Our Dreams at Dusk... I’m in love with it. There’s a very sad subplot that was done very well. I have so many feelings about how the subplots overlapped. A wonderful volume. I plan on rereading the whole collection soon!

Edit: Here is my review following my reread. 

I just reread this series and it is still such an incredible series. This series follows Tasuku a high school boy who is navigating coming out. Volume one starts when he is outed by his classmates and later in the day, stumbles upon an LGBT drop-in center. The rest of the series follows several people connected to the drop-in center, mostly from Tasuku’s perspective. 

Each of the characters are different, not just in sexuality and gender, but in personality. And while you do follow so many of them, no one really gets lost. They each stand out in their own way and have their own experiences. Even so, they are all connected by common themes surrounding community and how to interact with other people. The series of strong themes that link all of the plotlines is really what makes this series outstanding. There are complex points about coming out and how someone can be supportive without pushing someone’s boundaries. It also covers a lot of ground in terms of understanding/accepting different sexualities and genders and covers a variety of misconceptions very smoothly. It was surprisingly nuanced and beautiful overall. While the ending is open, it still felt complete. 

Both of these essays are brilliant. I do wish that they could have been longer to demonstrate more of her ideas with more text and data. But regardless, this is a great text for anyone interested in discourse or disability studies. There is a lot to think about in our current context as well.

I do think that there were a few points that should have been expanded on a bit more, particularly in AIDS and its Metaphors. But over all, it was still a great read.

This was a really neat read. I enjoyed getting to experience this story in a different medium and definitely made me want to re-read the play. I think I would have liked it better if the text were closer to the original, rather than the No Fear -- however, I also realize that I am probably one of the few people that would enjoy that, since the target audience is people who are more interested in the story with more modern text.

I completely adore this book. The art and backdrop are quite dark, but the characters are so wholesome. I actually had to stop reading twice because I was crying over how sweet it was. I love the art style and the story behind the world is compelling. I can't wait to get volume 2! It left off on a cliffhanger.

This was a quick and sweet story. I really loved the in-depth, but realistic, discussion of consent.

I really enjoyed the gaps that were filled in from the musical. Having more about Connor's character was also great, though I wish there had been more from her perspective. Though, I'm disappointed that *none* of the plot about Connor's actual life, including his sexuality, was put into the musical. It was really interesting to see bits and pieces from the songs thrown in throughout it, as well. I think that some of the big themes that I got from the musical were better represented on that medium than in the book. The same parts of the plot that were frustrating in the musical were also frustrating in the book, which was expected. I'm not sure what I would have thought about it were I not a fan of the musical first. But, I'm glad to have read it.