Zahra's Paradise

Set in the aftermath of Iran’s fraudulent elections of 2009, Zahra’s Paradise is the fictional story of the search for Mehdi, a young protestor who has vanished into an extrajudicial twilight zone. What’s keeping his memory from being obliterated is not the law. It is the grit and guts of his mother, who refuses to surrender her son to fate, and the tenacity of his brother, a blogger, who fuses tradition and technology to explore and explode the void in which Mehdi has vanished.

Zahra’s Paradise weaves together fiction and real people and events. As the world witnessed the aftermath of Iran’s fraudulent elections, through YouTube videos, on Twitter, and in blogs, this story came into being. The global response to this gripping tale has been passionate—an echo of the global outcry during the political upheaval of the summer of 2009.

 

Zahra’s Paradise is a first on the internet, a first for graphic novels, and a first in the history of political dissidence. Zahra’s Paradise is being serialized online at zahrasparadise.com.

Praise

“Like Maus and Persepolis, Zahra’s Paradise puts a human face on a time of grief and unrest. Unlike those books, the time in question is now.”—NPR

“A heartbreaking story . . . not just about tyranny, loss and grief, but a celebration of the will to live.”—Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran

“Gorgeous and compelling. Zahra’s Paradise is more than a graphic novel. It is a testament to the unbreakable will of a people ready to bear any cost to shake off the yoke of oppression.”—Reza Aslan, author of No god but God

About the Author(s)

By Amir and Khalil

Amir is an Iranian-American human rights activist, journalist and documentary filmmaker. He has lived and worked in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Afghanistan. His essays and articles have appeared far and wide in the press.

 

Khalil’s work as a fine artist has been much praised. He has been cartooning since he was very young. Zahra’s Paradise is his first graphic novel. Both Amir and Khalil have chosen to remain anonymous for political reasons.

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