Persepolis
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapiby Marjane Satrapi
The most recommended of 9 graphic novels
Praised as a moving, memorable graphic memoir of pre-revolution and revolutionary Iran. Critics say the second half is harder going.
Praised as a moving, memorable graphic memoir of pre-revolution and revolutionary Iran. Critics say the second half is harder going.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 16
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 16 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Meaningful, memorable, speaks uncomfortable truths
“Great literature does not exist to be heartwarming but to speak fundamental truths, however uncomfortable they are.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “I don't think her story is poorly written, and I think it is quite memorable.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “That "bad" part is where her story becomes more valuable.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” - Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56”
Beautiful art and storytelling
“A beautiful work of art. I would recommend to anyone reading this comment to order the first book.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “I thought it was beautiful. She was an extremely talented storyteller”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “how precisely it captured the artistic intent of the book”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” Fresh perspective unlike other books
“the graphic novel is excellent. Up there with Maus in terms of showing you a new perspective.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “Both parts are excellent in their own right, and quite unlike any other book I've read”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “Persepolis is tremendously more realistic than the hero's journey”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” Vivid picture of revolutionary Iran
“The graphic novel was very good, showing what Iran must have felt like to iranians before the revolution”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56” “it's a very well written personal memoir that shows what the revolution felt like”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Second half harder to get through
“I always enjoyed the first half of Persepolis. The second half of Persepolis was much more difficult for me”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis', dies at 56”
Other graphic novels people recommend
The four most recommended other graphic novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persepolisby Marjane SatrapiThis page | 16 | 1 | 94% | 1 | — | — |
| Transmetropolitanby Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Logicomixby Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou | 5 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
| Gender Queerby Maia Kobabe | 4 | 3 | 57% | 2 | — | — |
| Frontierby Guillaume Singelin | 4 | 1 | 80% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I thought it was beautiful. She was an extremely talented storyteller”
“I would recommend the book over it”
“Would recommend reading the comic instead”
“A beautiful work of art. I would recommend to anyone reading this comment to order the first book.”
“That "bad" part is where her story becomes more valuable.”
“it’s still such a good movie”
“her novel contains grave historical inaccuracies”
“It is an incredible book and I feel grateful for it.”
“it's a very well written personal memoir that shows what the revolution felt like”
“Great literature does not exist to be heartwarming but to speak fundamental truths, however uncomfortable they are.”
“groundbreaking Persepolis”
“I don't think her story is poorly written, and I think it is quite memorable.”
“Persepolis is tremendously more realistic than the hero's journey”
“Persepolis was really good, read it a few years ago.”
“Both parts are excellent in their own right, and quite unlike any other book I've read”
“how precisely it captured the artistic intent of the book”
“the graphic novel is excellent. Up there with Maus in terms of showing you a new perspective.”
“if you read Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, you would find plenty of similar examples”
“The graphic novel was very good, showing what Iran must have felt like to iranians before the revolution”
“I always enjoyed the first half of Persepolis. The second half of Persepolis was much more difficult for me”
“The book is beautiful too, I recommend it.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.