Persepolis, Vol. 1

A graphic memoir, done in simple ink drawings, telling a series of quick vignettes of the author's life growing up during Iran's revolution in 1979 through to her return as a wife in 1998. It's personal, filtered through her young eyes, and avoids being didactic.

Marjane is the daughter of progressive Marxist parents, who dreams of being a martyr, the grand daughter of a man who was tortured in prison. As a child she, along with the neighbourhood kids, armed with nails in their fists, look to punish a young boy whose father is part of the secret police. Through these stories we catch a glimpse of a country in turmoil and still so different than what we may have been exposed to in Western media growing up.

It's funny, with an eye to the tiny personal detail that illuminates the world around her. With aspects that feel universal and familiar to this western born kid, veering into uncovering a Middle Eastern reality that's rarely seen.