Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

"A wholly original achievement.... Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances.... A stark, shocking impact." --The New York Times: "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years"

One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane's child's-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

Author: Marjane Satrapi
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Published: 04/29/2003
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780375422300
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.3
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 76929 / Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood


Award: Academy Awards - Nominee
Award: Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers - Nominee
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Alex Awards - Winner
Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award - Nominee
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Nominee
Award: Green Mountain Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 02/15/2003 pg. 118
Vogue 04/01/2003 pg. 259
BookPage 05/01/2003 pg. 15
New York Times 05/11/2003 pg. 8
Library Journal 05/01/2003 pg. 99
Women's Review of Books 06/01/2003 pg. 8
Booklist 05/01/2003 pg. 1564
New York Times 06/01/2003 pg. 23
Publishers Weekly 07/14/2003 pg. 58
School Library Journal 08/01/2003 pg. 190
USA Today 08/06/2003 pg. 1
Voice of Youth Advocates 12/01/2003 pg. 430
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2003 pg. 51
Booklist Ed Choice Adu Bk YA's 01/01/2004 pg. 778
LJ Best Books of Year 01/01/2004 pg. 50
New York Times 12/07/2003 pg. 80
Booklist 02/01/2004 pg. 962
Booklist 03/01/2004 pg. 1205
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/15/2004 pg. 1284
Booklist 04/01/2004 pg. 1360
Commonweal 04/23/2004 pg. 22
New York Times 08/22/2004 pg. 7
Library Journal 02/15/2003
New York Review of Books 04/07/2005 pg. 40
People Weekly 12/17/2008 pg. 62
Entertainment Weekly 06/27/2008 pg. 102

About the Author
MARJANE SATRAPI was born in Rasht, Iran. She now lives in Paris, where she is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers throughout the world, including The New Yorker and The New York Times. She is the author of Persepolis, Persepolis 2, Embroideries, Chicken with Plums, and several children's books. She cowrote and codirected the animated feature film version of Persepolis, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Her most recent film was a live-action version of Chicken with Plums.