Papa Drew a Thousand Birds: A Memoir

A polyphonous graphic novel memoir from father and daughter about a boy’s flight and return to war-torn Afghanistan–as well as a fresh retelling of the epic Persian poem The Conference of the Birds.

Ahmadjan dreams of becoming an artist, but finds few opportunities in tumultuous Afghanistan. So he leaves … and thus begins a colorful, zigzagging path that is not just a powerful meditation on art, war, and the meaning of life–as well as a stunning collection of a myriad of different illustration forms–but a singular retelling of the legendary Persian epic The Conference of the Birds.

By the end of Papa Drew a Thousand Birds, you realize Ahmadjan and his daughter Maren are telling this story together, and their birds have flown their way into your heart.