There is much to learn from Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical, two-volume graphic novel Persepolis, which begins with her childhood in Tehran during a period of great political unrest. Like any great work of literature, the book helps us explore our own humanity and our own values. Like much great literature, it also shows the universality of certain experiences. Iran is a country that it is much misunderstood and maligned by the West, and Marjane's experiences go a long way to showing that the Iranian people are not so different than us. The first book is a coming-of-age story, something that is frequently explored in literature but is also something that everyone has gone (or will go) through.

It shows the importance of relationships, because Marjane is close to her parents, who are liberal and intellectual and encourage her to think for herself and to be intellectually curious. Family becomes even more important after the Islamic Revolution, when they can't trust many people and have to depend on each other. Marjane also learns a lot about life from her uncle and her grandmother, including about right or wrong.

The people in the book often have to make difficult choices and have to struggle to hold onto their values and integrity. Marjane and her family have problems with both the Shah and with the Islamic State that succeeds him. The book says that you have to hold on to your ethics, despite what those in power tell you do. Marjane is independent and strong willed, and she doesn't want to be told how to live, which leads her to leave Iran to study in Europe.