Zahra’s Paradise

Serialized online beginning in early 2010, Zahra's Paradise was published in hardcover format in 2011 and has received numerous positive reviews in mainstream press and blogs.

It is recorded as the work of Amir. Publication is recorded by First Second Books and Casterman. The recorded date of publication is 2010. It is associated with United States. Recorded genres are political comics. The recorded subject matter is 2009 Iranian presidential election protests.

• Name — Zahra's Paradise • Author — Amir Soltani • Illustrator — Khalil • Cover Artist — Khalil • Country — United States • Language — English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, German, Finnish, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish, Persian, Arabic • Subject — 2009–10 Iranian election protests • Genre — Comics, Politics • Publisher — ZahrasParadise.com (webcomic) First Second Books (English) • Release Date — 2010–2011 (webcomic) 2011 (book) • English Release Date — 2011 • Media Type — Webcomic, hardcover, paperback • Pages — 272 • Isbn — 978-1596436428 • Oclc — 692291009

Zahra's Paradise was conceived by a Persian writer (Amir Soltani), an Arab artist ("Khalil"), and a Jewish editor, who chose anonymity for political reasons. Two of them are Iranian expatriates, and want to protect their families in Iran from repressions by the Iranian government. Writer Soltani describes himself as "a human rights activist, journalist and documentary filmmaker." The first episode of Zahra's Paradise webcomic was published on 19 February 2010. Thereafter, it was published three times a week in black-and-white strips. As episodes were being published, they were simultaneously translated into Persian, Arabic, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Italian. Ultimately, the webcomic was translated into 16 languages. An English-language hardcover print edition was published by First Second Books on September 13, 2011. Foreign language editions have subsequently been published by Casterman (in French and Dutch), Rizzoli Lizard (in Italian), Norma Editorial (in Spanish), Knesebeck (in German), LIKE (in Finnish), Darun (in Korean), Leya (in Portuguese), Pegasus Yayınları (in Turkish), vote4zahra.org (in Persian), and Dar Al-Tanweer (in Arabic).

The story takes place in the aftermath of the disputed Iran's 2009 elections. It recounts a search for Mehdi, a young activist who has vanished in their aftermath, likely abducted by the government's secret police. The search is carried out by his mother (the titular Zahra), his brother (a blogger), and their friends. "Zahra's Paradise" is also the English name of Behesht-e Zahra, the largest cemetery in Iran, located in Tehran. The comic's title purposefully draws inspiration from that place, a place of rest for many Iranians from all paths of life, including both the supporters and opponents of the Iranian revolution and the current Iranian government. The novel's characters echo real figures, such as Mohsen Rouholamini, a 25-year-old who was reported to have died of prison abuse in 2009, and Sohrab Aarabi, the 19-year-old who was gunned down in the protests, both of whom, like Neda Agha-Soltan, were buried in Behesht-e Zahra. It's also reminiscent of the story of Hossein Derakhshan, the Iranian-Canadian who helped spark the Iranian blogging movement, before voluntarily returning to his homeland in 2008, only to be imprisoned indefinitely. Another name of relevance is that of the Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi, known for her investigations into missing people in Iran, who was beaten to death in an Iranian prison in 2003.

The book was banned from Santa Rosa County District Schools, Florida, and North Kansas City Schools, Rockwood School District, and Webster Groves School District, Missouri. It was temporarily banned (pending investigation) in Escambia County Public Schools, Florida.