Persepolis

Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.
Persepolis is a non-fiction Graphic autobiography written by Marjane about a horrid revolution in her country.  Due to uprising of religious fanatics a massacre of 400 people were burned in a cinema.  She did not understand, but all she could think about was that she wanted to become a prophet.  Her grandfather was a Prime Minister who was imprisoned. Grandmother went broke and warned them to stay in their own social classes.  Black Friday was a day that people were killed by their own people.  Statues were removed and they claim that President Carter was only interested in oil. 3000 political prisoners were liberated and released.  The newly released prisoners explained how they were tortured and killed.  Marjane bullied one of her friends because his fathers was a policeman for the Shah and had killed people.  After being scolded by her mother, she later told him it was not his fault that his father was a killer.  Anoosh her beloved uncle protested and was put in prison and she went to visit him.  He was released and put back in and later put to death.  Neighbors house was bombed and her mother told her they were not home when it happened but she found the bracelet of her friend still attached to part of her arm.  Young boys were made to become soldiers and given "keys"as symbols of strength but they would have rather had their lives.  She still wanted to protest, she hit her principal and was expelled.  Her parents sent her away to live in Vienna without them.  The end of the story her father carried her distressed mother away from the other side of the glass at the airport.  This was an extremely detailed and graphically sad story.  I found the story a bit confusing and rambled on in the details, maybe because it was told from the perspective of a child.  There is a sequel to the story called Persepolis 2.