Sticky Notes: Persepolis

The Basics

• Title: Persepolis
• Author: Marjane Satrapi
• Genre: Graphic Memoir / Autobiography
• Publication Year: 2000 (original French edition; English translation 2003)
• Pages: ~160

Awards & Recognition

• Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award (France’s top comics festival)
• ALA Notable Book
• New York Times Notable Book

First, a Quick (No-Spoilers) Summary

Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. The story is told through Marjane’s perspective as a child and then a teenager, which gives the narrative a really unique balance of innocence and awareness.

We see her trying to make sense of massive political and cultural shifts while still navigating everyday life, family, school, identity, and growing up. The graphic novel format makes complex history feel accessible, but it never waters anything down. Instead, it brings you closer to the human experience behind the headlines. It’s personal, political, and deeply grounded in what it feels like to grow up in the middle of change you didn’t ask for.

Why I Chose to Read This

Given everything going on in the world right now, tensions, war, and the ongoing conversation about Iran, I wanted a more human, grounded in facts perspective than what I am fed in the U.S..

If I’m being honest, I’ve always felt like U.S. narratives about countries like Iran are exaggerated hyperbole at best and completely misrepresented at worst. That never sat right with me. I feel like it’s my responsibility to go beyond that and actually understand the people, culture, and history in a more authentic way.

This book felt like a great entry point. And it absolutely delivered. It reminded me how powerful it is to hear stories from inside a culture instead of about it from the outside.

Teaching & Content Considerations

This is one of those books that can work in a lot of different classroom settings, whole class, small group, or independent reading. It will 100% have a place in my classroom library.

That said, I’d lean toward high school (14+) given the content. There are mature elements throughout, including:

• Smoking and drinking
• Violence, torture, and references to murder
• Some explicit language

In terms of audience, this book hits a lot of lanes:

• Students interested in history or global politics
• Fans of graphic novels
• And honestly, I think this is an important read for girls, there are strong threads around identity, power, and what it means to grow up as a young woman in a restrictive system

Instructionally, there is a lot to work with here. One of the biggest takeaways for me is the duality of how Satrapi pairs humor with tragedy.

Some moments I’d absolutely bring into the classroom:

• p. 52: The dismembered body image — a powerful example of how visuals can hit in ways text alone can’t
• p. 62: A clean example of foreshadowing as her uncle warns about the revolution becoming too extreme
• p. 86: The contrast between national “victory” and personal loss, a great way to explore competing perspectives
• p. 112: The hamburger scene - such a relatable reminder that teenagers across cultures are way more alike than different

Read-Aloud Moments for a Book Talk

• p. 6: Marjane wanting to be a prophet — captures the playful yet serious tone perfectly and is a great intro to the story as a whole
• p. 75: “If anyone asks you what you do during the day, say you pray…” — immediately introduces tension and identity conflict but is also a great teaser of the story as a whole. Why does she have to lie about praying, in what context? I think this would pique some interest.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Persepolis really stuck with me. It’s one of those books that feels both deeply personal and incredibly informative at the same time. I was struck by how Satrapi balances heavy, often brutal realities with moments of humor and relatability, which made the story feel human rather than distant or purely historical. More than anything, it challenged the simplified narratives I’ve been exposed to and replaced them with something much more nuanced and real. I walked away feeling like I not only learned a lot, but also shifted my perspective, and that’s exactly the kind of reading experience I’m always looking for.

What This Made Me Want to Explore

This book made one thing very clear: I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did about the Iranian Revolution. And more importantly, a lot of what I did know was filtered through a pretty biased lens.

It pushed me to want to explore more global histories, especially revolutions that the U.S. tends to frame in a very one-sided way. I had a similar experience visiting Cuba years ago and realizing how different reality felt compared to what I had always been told.

That’s what made this book so powerful for me. I learned a ton, but more than that, it made me want to keep learning. And honestly, that’s kind of the whole point, right?