Readings

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

(Pantheon, $17.95, August)

We named Satrapi's stunning debut graphic novel one of the best books of 2003; the second installment in this Iranian coming-of-age epic, a memoir whose debt to Maus is unmistakable, follows Satrapi out of the Islamic Revolution and into secular education. Scary, moving, and etched out with a simplicity that speaks volumes. The artist is less a talent than a force.