Marjane Satrapi is the author, illustrator, and narrator of Persepolis. Born into an educated family in Iran, she was raised in Tehran and attended bilingual French schools. Her grandfather was a prince who also served as the Iranian prime minister, meaning her family had ties to the Iranian government.

Persepolis is first and foremost the story of Satrapi’s Coming of Age During Revolution, Civil Unrest, and War. In it, Satrapi characterizes her younger self as a bright, idealistic, and imaginative child who grows disillusioned and rebellious as she enters her teen years. She grows to love Western heavy metal and punk rock, and her parents eventually send her to a French school in Austria to keep her safe.

Satrapi’s mother is a progressive, intellectual, compassionate, stubborn woman who nurtures her daughter’s budding interest in politics and philosophy. She places a huge emphasis on Satrapi’s education and cites it as the most important thing she can have. Satrapi and her mother sometimes butt heads because they are both stubborn, but her mother’s love is always on display.

Satrapi’s father is also progressive and educated, frequently taking photographs and documenting political demonstrations. Skeptical of the Islamic regime, he often fact-checks the news using the BBC and other Western news sources.