Her story is immediately accessible and engaging. Reading it, we follow Satrapi as a child in the 1980s, adjusting to life in Tehran following the revolution. Required to wear the veil, she finds her family life continuously disrupted by political upheaval and Iran’s war with Iraq. This precocious little girl holds fantastic conversations with God and Marx and play-acts being both prophet and communist freedom fighter. Throughout it all, her imaginative inner life is set against the difficult realities of state-sponsored imprisonment, torture, and executions taking place around her. Together, they yield a whole that is imbued with both serious reflection and vibrant humor.

Aside from its powerful subject matter, Persepolis is notable for its format: It’s a comic book, illustrated in a striking black and white newspaper comic strip style that heightens the sensation of experiencing the world through the eyes of a child. Satrapi is an accomplished illustrator, and her drawings convey her experiences with wit and energy.

This unique book offers a window on the private lives of Islamic people, especially women and children, living under a repressive regime. I recommend it for adults and teens – and as an excellent, unusual selection for book clubs.