Whenever I hear the words “comic book,” I immediately imagine a pimply 16-year-old guy sprawled on his unkempt bed, eagerly reading the latest “Spiderman.” Though Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, is technically a comic book, I would classify it as a graphic novel. It’s the poignant and hilarious autobiography of Marjane Satrapi, who lives in Paris but grew up in Rasht, Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

As she weaves her story with black and white strips, we see life through Satrapi’s eyes from the ages of 10 to 14 when her country was experiencing enormous internal turmoil. For many of us in the U.S., our sources of information especially news, are inaccurate. Satrapi offers a unique and original alternative with insight into the daily lives of Iranians during its devastating civil war and the first Gulf War.

Much like the graphic novel Maus, Persepolis discusses class structure, horrors of war, and personal revolution we all experience as we grow up.

Ingrained with history, sprinkled with joviality, and drawn from the truth, Persepolis is a story of growing up in a developing nation; the story of an adamant and clever young woman; a story you can’t put down. Though an easy read, it’s become one of my favorite books, and I can’t wait until I finish the sequel.