Persepolis is a series of autobiographical graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi that depict her childhood and early adult years in Iran and Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution.

Belonging to an upper-middle-class family, Marji has access to various educational materials, such as books and a radio, which expose her to Western political thought at a very young age.

By discovering the ideas of numerous philosophers, Marji reflects on her class privilege and is eager to learn about her family's political background.

Marji's family begins to fear for their lives since many of their friends and thousands of Iranians have fled the new regime to Europe or the USA, but they resolve to stay.

The novel ends with her departure to Europe and the final sight of her mother fainting in her father's hands, unable to bear letting go of Marjane.

The second part of the series takes place in Vienna, where Marji starts her new life as a student at the Lycée Français de Vienne, at a boarding house because her mother's friend has no room for her at her own apartment.

However, due to the restrictions of showing female nudity, Marji and her friends attend secret sessions and parties, away from the prying eyes of the religious police.

She goes to her parents and tells them about her and Reza's divorce, and they comment on how proud they are of her and suggest that she should leave Iran permanently and live a better life back in Europe.

The genre of graphic novels can be traced back to 1986 with Art Spiegelman's Maus, portraying the Holocaust through the use of cartoon images of mice and cats.

Later, writers such as Aaron McGruder and Ho Che Anderson used graphic novels to discuss themes such as Sudanese orphans and civil rights movements.

[10] Nima Naghibi and Andrew O'Malley, English professors at Ryerson University, believe that Persepolis is part of a larger movement of autobiographical books by Iranian women.

"[14] Due to the nature of artistic choices made in Persepolis by virtue of it being an illustrated memoir, readers have faced difficulty in placing it into a genre.

[15] Chute contends that Persepolis highlights this 'unseen' by appearing to be visually simplistic so that it can draw attention to the intense political events happening in the story.

[15] Professor Liorah Golomb from the University of Oklahoma states about Persepolis and related books; "As time went on the comics still tended towards the autobiographical, but storytelling gained importance.

[16] An article from a journal on multicultural education written about teaching Persepolis in a middle school classroom acknowledges Satrapi's decision to use this genre of literature as a way for "students to disrupt the one-dimensional image of Iran and Iranian women.

"[17] In this way, the story encourages students to skirt the wall of intolerance and participate in a more complex conversation about Iranian history, U.S. politics, and the gendered interstices of war.

[18] Satrapi's recount of her harassment by both male and female members of the Guardians of the Revolution because of her untraditional behavior and clothing exemplifies the hypocrisy of the state's beliefs.

[18] Marji struggles with finding her identity because she is torn between a deep connection with her Iranian heritage and culture and the political and religious pressure enforced by the state.

[18] Jennifer Worth, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Wagner College, presents that Satrapi uses the veil as a metaphor to describe the desire to control women.

[20] Through her utilization of the veil as a symbol of concealing latent struggles, Satrapi contends that the confusion surrounding Marji's transition into adulthood stems from her complex beliefs and feelings about her Iranian heritage.

[21] Manuela Constantino’s article, published as part of the University of Toronto Press, argues that Persepolis was released during a crucial time that aided its reception in North America.

This makes Persepolis "easily accessible and seemingly transparent,"[22] Constantino states that these childlike reactions to the horrors they are exposed to bridge the gap between human and history.

[22] Mahdiyeh Ezzatikarami and Firouzeh Ameri of the International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature published their article the strengths of Persepolis as a memoir.

Marie Ostby, professor at Connecticut College, noted that, David Beauchard, a co-founder of L'Association, strove to "create a forum for more culturally informed, self-reflective work," especially consisting of female writers.

"[30] Kristin Anderson of The Oxonian Review of Books of Balliol College, University of Oxford said, "While Persepolis' feistiness and creativity pay tribute as much to Satrapi herself as to contemporary Iran, if her aim is to humanise her homeland, this amiable, sardonic and very candid memoir couldn't do a better job.

[34] Friere and Macedo argue that teaching Persepolis in a middle school classroom has proved to be beneficial in the development of students' literacy and critical thinking skills, which are necessary to help them interpret the world around them.

Despite the images and easy-to-read text, Persepolis is also often taught at the high school level because high-school aged students would be able to take the information learned and thoroughly discuss it to enhance their literary skills.

[34] Friere and Macedo believe that the way women and Iranian society in general are presented in the book can help students come to doubt their perceived sense of national insecurity when it comes to the Middle East.

[37][38][39] Upon hearing about the proposed ban, upperclassmen at Lane Tech High School in Chicago flocked to the library to check out Persepolis and organized demonstrations in protest.

Another case of censorship arose in central Illinois' Ball-Chatham School District, where a student's parent stated that the book was inappropriate for the age group assigned.