Marzena Sowa's memoir of a childhood shaped by politics as told from a young girl's perspective. Structured as a series of vignettes that build on one another, MARZI is a coming-of-age story that portrays the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain while maintaining the everyday wonders and curiosity of childhood.

As seen on Happify Daily! "Marzi's charming and irreverent illustrations are exactly what young and old introverts need to approach their temperament with wisdom and self-affirmation." --Susan Cain, author of Quiet Whoever said there's strength in numbers lied. Meet Marzi. She's an introvert who often finds herself in awkward situations. Marzi used to feel strange about her introverted tendencies. Not anymore! Now she knows that there are tons of introverts out there just like her--introverts who enjoy peace and quiet, need time alone to recharge their battery, and who prefer staying in with their pet and a good book to awkward social interactions. Just like Marzi, these introverts can often be found in libraries, at home watching Netflix, brainstorming excuses to miss your next party, or doodling cute cartoons. Being an introvert in an extrovert world isn't always easy, but it certainly is an adventure. In Introvert Doodles, follow Marzi through all of her most uncomfortable, charming, honest, and hilarious moments that everyone--introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between--can relate to.

"This summer, my factory can send you to summer camp. To the mountains or the sea. I've never been to the sea, but now you can go for me." What awaits Marzi on the Baltic shore? It's the summer of 1992. Preteens at camp in newly-democratic Poland are crazy for Madonna, Pepsi, Russian video games... and seances. Notebook in hand, Marzi observes it all with her wry sense of humor, but that doesn't keep her from getting swept off her feet...

One day, while visiting her family in the countryside, Marzi comes across a trail of ants, and decides to have a little fun, blocking their way with sticks and rocks. Is that what it's like to be God? In this second volume, we discover more about Marzi's fascinating life in 1980s Poland, torn between the daily stresses of near-war and even bigger questions like the existence and powers of God. Can He really see and know everything, even when she's all alone in her room, even when it's just a thought in her head? So many burning questions, with her First Communion right around the corner! Another absorbing series of stories about a little girl who loves life—even as she struggles to understand it.

Marzena Sowa continues her endearing memoir recounting childhood behind the Iron Curtain in Poland. Even at the height of summer vacation deep in the countryside, the noise of urban unrest carries, bringing news of rations, strikes, and Solidarność. Amid a young girl's typical worries—the witch neighbor, the school nurse, her mother's angry temper—come the echoes of the strange and confusing world of adults.

"Before, there were trees and countryside. Man didn't intervene. Stalin decided to "rectify" that space, and now, instead of trees, there are concrete buildings, everywhere. Stalin had a factory built. Thanks to that, lots of people got jobs, like my dad." Born in 1979, Marzi is a 7-year-old Polish girl who looks wide-eyed at the world around her: her parents, her family, her school friends and the crabby women at the grocery store who don't even smile for a fruit delivery. Marzi lives on a council estate in an industrial town, and is a cheerful, carefree, mischievous and perceptive little girl, bound to run into many adventures!

The communists are gone, but life is still full of challenges. Both for Poland, and for 12-year-old Marzi, the strong-willed kid finding her voice in a country undergoing radical changes. As the country faces new issues like drug abuse and AIDS, Marzi's piercing gaze notices fraying seams in her own community. "What ever happened to solidarity? If you want help, you'd better not be different." Marzi is a natural champion for being different: she can't stand the new capitalist shops, or how boy-crazy her friends are becoming. Will she find a place where she can just be herself?