Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 160
- Reading time
- about 2h 55m (est.)
- First published
- 2000
- Genre
- Graphic Memoir
- ISBN-13
- 9780375714573
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Marjane Satrapi's black-and-white graphic memoir of growing up in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Widely assigned in 9th-12th grade world literature, history, and graphic-novel-as-literature units; cited in Common Core Appendix B as an informational text exemplar.
Why widely assigned
This Graphic Memoir title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on revolution and coming of age.
Themes
revolution · coming of age · religion · identity · war
Content notes
war violence · political imprisonment · execution
Common Sense Media recommends age 14+.
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
Similar grade-level books
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
See all books like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood?
- Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood?
- It takes about 2h 55m to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (160 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 175 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood banned in schools?
- Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 2 states (IL, TX) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
- What themes does Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood explore?
- Central themes in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood include revolution, coming of age, religion, identity, war. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Not yet documented in any tracked curriculum.
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 2 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.