Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi

 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi-153 pages

This is the story of Marjane Satrapi and her childhood in Iran. She grew up during the Iranian Revolution (aka the Islamic Revolution) of 1978-1979. A couple of years later Iran and Iraq were at war. Atrocities abounded both during and after the Iranian Revolution. The regime installed after the revolution was an extremely repressive Islamic government. Veils now had to be worn and worn properly by women. Parties, playing cards, tapes, records, and the like were banned. Men were encouraged to grow long beards and to never wear ties. Anyone found in violation of these new rules could be arrested and executed. Both Marjane and her mother had scary run-ins with patrols on behalf of the regime. Many died both during the revolution and the subsequent war and Marjane saw some of it first-hand. Bombings were frequent during the war. When Marjane turned fourteen, her parents sent her to Vienna, Austria to attend a French school (she had attended French schools in Tehran, Iran) out of concern for her safety in Iran. I didn't know much about the Iranian Revolution or the history of Iran before reading this graphic novel, but I learned quite a bit from reading this. It's not necessarily an enjoyable read, but it is an important read. 

The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe by Stephen Harding

The Last Battle:  When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe by Stephen Harding - 223 pages

When I chose to read The Last Battle it was because I was interested in reading about the circumstances of how the United States and Germans teamed up.  However, I was unimpressed.  What is not clearly mentioned is that it was not truly the Germans who were participating.  Most of the so-called "German" soldiers were Austrians and they had joined the Austrian resistance long before the war ended.  The goal of this "last battle" was to protect a group of high-ranking French political prisoners (former ministers who opposed the Nazis) and kept at Schloss Itter, a medieval castle in the Tyrolean Alps.  Initially, after the true Germans guarding the prisoners leave, local Austrian-bred officers and soldiers plus one disgruntled former Bavarian SS Captain who deserted, Schrader,  help protect the prisoners.  Then one prisoner escaped to let the nearby American troops know what was happening and they came to the rescue in two waves.  The first is the focus of the latter half of the book, as the second wave is given only one paragraph.

Also a fact I disliked about the book was its focus on biographies over the actual event.  The first nearly one hundred pages were mini-biographies of the ensemble cast of about two dozen.  However, that same fact lets me unexpectedly claim this book towards this month's goal of sports and athlete related books.  One of the French prisoners was Jean Borotra, a world-renowned tennis champion and former Minister of Sports and Recreation, who was imprisoned for saying the Jews should be allowed equal opportunity to participate in sporting activities.  Also, the American soldier who led the troops to Schloss Ittler, John C. Lee, Jr., participated in swoardsmanship and horsemanship sports while enrolled in a military academy and played several seasons of semi-pro football after the war's end.  Both Lee and Borotra were the indispensable brains and brave souls whom without the battle never would have been won.

Vienna Nocturne by Vivian Shortwell

Vienna Nocturne by Vivian Shortwell - 304 pages

This novel traces the early life of opera singer Anna Storace.  Since little is known about her other than family, acquaintances, and performances, a novel was the perfect way to present her story.  The novel begins with her first lessons and performances in her native England before following her to her big debut in Venice.  From there, her opera company moves to Vienna at the request of the Austrian emperor, Joesph II.  Once there, Anna becomes a "superstar" and meets Amadeus Mozart.  We also see Anna's relationships with her mother, brother, best friend, and lovers, including her costar Francesco Bennuci and Mozart.  Once heart-wrenching point in the story was her ill-fated marriage of necessity with John Fisher and the events directly thereafter.

In all, it was a good story.  I think anyone would be able to follow the storyline.  However, there is a need to know musical terms as they are frequently used and not defined.  The descriptions within the book are reminiscent of an older era.

Mozart's Last Aria: A Novel by Matt Rees

Mozart's Last Aria: A Novel by Matt Rees --- 303 pages

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguable one of the greatest --- possibly the greatest --- musical genius the world has produced, died suddenly at the age of 35, in Vienna, in 1791, leaving his family impoverished. A child prodigy who composed his first music at the age of six, he was brilliant, passionate, erratic in life, and scandalous even in death.

The story is narrated by Mozart's sister Nannerl, who travels to Vienna to discover how and why her brother died claiming he had been poisoned.  The doctor who examined his corpse insists he died of a fever, and no one wants to talk about the circumstances and the discrepancies surrounding his abrupt demise. Rees has done his research, and late 18th century Vienna, its sophisticated culture, the political ferment created by the Enlightenment and the terror evoked by the French Revolution, the squalor endured by the poor and the luxury enjoyed by the privileged, all form the background to Nannerl's investigations. As she talks to her brother's wife, his mistress, his friends, his musical rivals, powerful nobles and patrons of the arts, she begins to realize that Mozart was also involved in deep political intrigues that had earned him ruthless enemies as well. And she receives warnings that asking questions about her brother's death could be a fatal mistake for her, too.

Rees has integrated Mozart's music into all the key moments in his plot, and even uses the Sonata in A Minor as the pattern for the structure of his story.  Almost all of the characters are real persons, the places described are real places, and he offers a very intriguing and historically plausible solution to the mystery of Mozart's untimely death.