Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

The first part of Marjane Satrapi's celebrated graphic memoir, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood introduces Marji, a bright, headstrong girl growing up in Tehran as the 1979 Islamic Revolution overturns the country around her. The daughter of progressive, politically active parents, she is old enough to sense the enormity of what is happening but young enough to filter it through games, God, and childhood certainties.

As the new regime tightens its grip and the war with Iraq begins, Marji witnesses arrests, disappearances, and the growing gap between public conformity and private life. She idolises rebellious relatives, argues with her teachers, smuggles Western music, and gradually loses her innocence to a reality of bombings and repression. By the book's end, her parents make the wrenching decision to send her abroad for her own safety.

Rendered in bold black-and-white artwork, this opening volume balances humour and horror through the eyes of a child. It stands on its own as a coming-of-age story while setting up the exile and return chronicled in the later volumes of Satrapi's memoir.