The One Book, One Philadelphia Selection Committee has chosen Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis as the featured selection for 2010. Originally published in France in two volumes, The Complete Persepolis is Satrapi’s poignant, humorous, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during a time of political revolution and repression. An outspoken and imaginative child, Satrapi grappled with understanding the ruling power in her country as she witnessed the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the Islamic Revolution’s triumph, and the chilling impact of war with Iraq. Detailed in black-and-white graphic images and accompanied by brief text, Satrapi’s story continues through her years as a young adult, as she finds her way as an expatriate student in Austria. Her first-person point of view presents readers with a unique glimpse into Iran’s political repression, the inner-workings of a family, and one woman’s experience as an outsider both at home and abroad.

One Book, One Philadelphia is a joint project of the Mayor’s Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia that promotes reading, literacy, library use, and community building by motivating tens of thousands of people to read an annual featured selection. Marking the eighth consecutive year for One Book, the 2010 program runs from January 20 to March 17, 2010.

Hundreds of community partners have contributed resources and will be developing programs to facilitate the success of One Book, One Philadelphia. We thank our sponsors and partners for their tremendous support.

To further enhance your One Book, One Philadelphia experience, please browse this site—you’ll find everything from maps and timeline of recent Iranian history to book discussion questions and lists of related book in the Library’s collection. We hope these materials will enrich the time you spend with The Complete Persepolis and its themes, as well as foster a shared, interactive experience with others in the community.

The Complete Persepolis was adapted to film in 2007. Watch the trailer for Persepolis below: