Persepolis is the story of young Marjane Satrapi who finds herself in the midst of violence and rebellion from the Islamic Republic in Iran. This takes place right after the 1979 Iran Revolution and the downfall of the American-backed dictator called the Shah dictator. …more Under the Islamic Republic, many oppressive and religious rules had been put in place. Marjane attended a French co-educational and non-religious school, but western influences became outlawed. Women and girls were forced to wear a veil, especially in school. The girls at Marjane's song did not like the veil, neither did Marjane or her mother, who participated in a demonstration against the veil. Being imposed such rules at a young girl must've been very conflicting for Marjane. Her family was modern but she was "born in religion," she even believed to be a prophet and wrote her own "holy book" although all the previous prophets were men. At such a young age, Marjane stepped into the history of her ancient country. (less)

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is a story about a hen named Sprout who dreams of laying her own eggs. She escaped from the coop in hopes of living with the other barn animals. But she became an outcast because she lived in the coop and after she took the responsibility …more to raise her friend's Baby who was a duck, she became even more of an outcast. The barn animals represent the cultural and social restrictions that exist in the author's home country. The patriarchal society is based on ranking and seniority. Men dominate, as well as those from the upper class. Whereas, women and those of the lower class are looked down upon. The character Sprout was based off of the author's father, who died of cancer shortly before the book was published in 2000. The author's father struggled a lot in life, but he was able to raise his children with love. Before his death, he asked that a pot of rice be cooked and given to anyone who passed by. Sun-Mi Hwang portrayed this in her book when Sprout at the end died and her body served as food to some hungry animals. Although she died, Sprout got to raise her Baby and do everything she ever wanted. She died a happy and memorable death. (less)