A memoir and graphic novel, Persepolis follows Satrapi through her childhood in Tehran during the Islamic revolution. As the laws change the Satrapi family changes too. The women must adapt to scarves, gender segregation, and moral expectations not previously enforced. Marjane shows and tells us how she tried to speak out about what she thought she understood as a child and how her mind would change with each new regime. As a young woman she travels to Europe and is introduced to freedom, men, alcohol, and even drugs. Upon returning she attends college, weds and divorces a man, and finally discovers that while she will always love her homeland the new Iran is no longer the land of her dreams.
Autobiographies by definition must present the entire picture- flattering or not. It is in this way that we are able to accept what we are reading to be true. By turning her memoir into a graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi doesn't simply tell the reader of her awkward moments and heartaches: she shows them. We are presented the entire picture of her childhood not only through her words but through her illustrations as well.
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