THE ONE & ONLY GOOGOOSH

An adoring, wistful diaspora remembers the single-named Iranian singer Googoosh.

Collages of painted cut paper create funky and nostalgic visions of pre-1979 Iran as Googoosh first takes the stage at age 2 with her acrobat father. The young performer appears surrounded by textured rose petals, resplendent in pomegranate red. As other children play and go to school, her star rises, capturing the heart of a nation with her resonant voice: “Like the snowcapped peaks of the Alborz Mountains, / you were everywhere we turned.” Westergaard lovingly brings to life this childhood narrative of Iran, relying on a warm palette and layered paper shapes and melodic text that praises the deliciousness of “warm babari bread” and “salted boiled beets.” Two stark full-spread illustrations nearly sapped of color depict the moment everything changed, with a man holding up a sign in front of a vast crowd that reads “انقلاب” (“inqilāb,” or “revolution” in Farsi)—and then an empty stage with dark curtains closed. “The sound of a woman’s singing voice— / outlawed.” Many people, including Googoosh’s fans, leave the country, “scattering across the world / like wild, windblown poppies.” Even while acknowledging great sadness, however, the story exudes joy in the way displaced Iranians preserve their memories and culture. More than just a loving tribute to one particular singer, this is a rich concoction of immigrant yearning.

A radiant love letter to a treasured artist—and to a long-gone way of life.