Mount Si High School’s world literature class has added a graphic novel to its curriculum.

The District Curriculum Review Committee approved the district’s first graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, at its June 15 meeting.

Using stark black-and-white drawings, Persepolis tells Satrapi’s experience as a young girl growing up in Iran through the Shah’s overthrow, the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. The novel has won several literary awards and received high critical praise.

The story and drawings make the modern history of Iran accessible for students.

“With bold lines and deceptively uncomplicated scenes, Satrapi conveys her story. From it, teens will learn much of the history of this important area and will identify with young Marji and her friends,” wrote the School Library Journal in its review of the novel.