Books to Read to Understand Iran’s Protests

An urgent, groundbreaking and visually stunning new collection of graphic storytelling about the present Iranian revolution, using comics to show what would be censored in photos and film in Iran.Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, returns to graphic art with this collaboration of over 20 activists, artists, journalists, and academics working together to depict the historic uprising, in solidarity with the Iranian people and in defense of feminism.*"A stirring call for change that reminds readers 'the art of rebellion is an everyday battle.'” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION • KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER • From the author of the landmark bestseller Lawrence in Arabia comes a stunningly revelatory narrative history of the Iranian Revolution, one of the most momentous events in modern times. This groundbreaking work exposes the jaw-dropping stupidity of the American government and traces the rise of religious nationalism, offering essential insights into today's global unrest. “A masterful and propulsive account that chronicles a devastatingly transformative series of events whose aftereffects reverberate to this day.” —The Kirkus Prize 2025 Jury “An exceptional and important book. Scrupulous and enterprising reporting rarely combine with such superb storytelling.” —The New York Times Book Review “A masterful and gripping account. Anderson gives us a page-turning history lesson that is more relevant than ever.” —Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a finalist for the National Book Award

How Iranians forged a vibrant, informal video distribution infrastructure when their government banned all home video technology in 1983.

Like Reading Lolita in Tehran and Honeymoon in Purdah before it, Poets & Pahlevans explores the vibrant heart of Iran, and the paradoxes that reside in both its history and in its contemporary life.

By an admired historian, a hugely ambitious, illuminating portrait of the two-centuries-long entwined histories of Iran and America: two powers who were once allies and now adversaries.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A moving exploration of the 2022 women-led protests in Iran, as told through the interwoven stories of two Iranian journalists “Unlike anything I’ve read . . . A searing, courageous, and ultimately beautiful book filled with the spirit of the movement that it covers.” —Ben Rhodes, author of The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION • Persepolis is a classroom staple, a feminist manifesto, and one of the most beloved graphic novels of all time. For the first time in hardcover, this stunning edition examines the Iranian political landscape in the context of global politics today. • WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR

A moving and harrowing portrait of the lives of Iranians across five decades, tracing the promise of the 1979 Iranian revolution, its betrayal by forces of autocracy, and a people’s undying spirit of resistance “The best book to understand Iran today. . . . impossible to put down.” —EDWARD FISHMAN, author of Chokepoints “A masterwork of reporting. . . . a kind of skeleton key for understanding the present moment.”—JONATHAN BLITZER, author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here “One of the most incisive works on Iranian society in a generation.”—SCOTT ANDERSON, author of King of Kings

A beautiful new Deluxe Edition of the critically acclaimed and highly successful memoir, Reading Lolita in Tehran, a NYT #1 bestseller for 34 weeks with over 1.5 million copies sold.