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Wake Now in the Fire: A Graphic Novel
In this empowering graphic novel based on a true story, a group of high schoolers in Chicago work to overturn the system-wide ban of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.
It starts as an update at one Chicago high copies of a certain book are no longer allowed in the classrooms or the library. But it’s not just one high school—it’s all Chicago public schools. Not even the principals know why this is happening; they just know they must comply with the order. One thing is The book, which tells a story of oppression, survival, and resistance against authoritarian power, is seen as a threat, dangerous enough to ban.
One other thing is Some of the students aren’t going to let this go without resistance of their own.
As the extent of the ban becomes known, the students rise up. They organize a school-wide walkout and library sit-in. They publicize the banning in every forum they social media, the press, classes, clubs, the school paper. And most of all, they get everyone they know to read the Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.
Told from multiple perspectives, based on extensive interviews with the real-life students and teachers who were affected, and written by the librarian who exposed key information about the Chicago Public Schools censorship decision, Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalized account of a true event that galvanized a community. With illustrations by Alex Award-winner AJ Dungo that perfectly capture the everyday joys, heartbreak, and stresses of high school, this graphic novel is an inspiring portrayal of student activism taking on one of most urgent issues of our time, and a passionate reminder of why protecting the books we love matters.
It starts as an update at one Chicago high copies of a certain book are no longer allowed in the classrooms or the library. But it’s not just one high school—it’s all Chicago public schools. Not even the principals know why this is happening; they just know they must comply with the order. One thing is The book, which tells a story of oppression, survival, and resistance against authoritarian power, is seen as a threat, dangerous enough to ban.
One other thing is Some of the students aren’t going to let this go without resistance of their own.
As the extent of the ban becomes known, the students rise up. They organize a school-wide walkout and library sit-in. They publicize the banning in every forum they social media, the press, classes, clubs, the school paper. And most of all, they get everyone they know to read the Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.
Told from multiple perspectives, based on extensive interviews with the real-life students and teachers who were affected, and written by the librarian who exposed key information about the Chicago Public Schools censorship decision, Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalized account of a true event that galvanized a community. With illustrations by Alex Award-winner AJ Dungo that perfectly capture the everyday joys, heartbreak, and stresses of high school, this graphic novel is an inspiring portrayal of student activism taking on one of most urgent issues of our time, and a passionate reminder of why protecting the books we love matters.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published February 3, 2026
About the author
Jarrett Dapier
9 books45 followersJarrett Dapier is a writer, librarian, and drummer who has loved listening to jazz all his life. He lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his family and their many pets. His favorite treat is an Art Blakey Flakey. Jazz For Lunch! is his picture book debut.
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July 8, 2026
Book Riot’s Best Books of 2026 (So Far)
Attacks on books have accelerated in the last five years, but they didn’t originate with the Trump administration and the rise of the MAGA movement’s censorship in the name of faux morality. This YA graphic novel centers the 2013 banning of Persepolis in Chicago public schools and student outrage and protests in the weeks that followed. Dapier deftly moves between teen perspectives, showing these super smart and complex kids dealing with personal anxieties while contending with censorship, and finding ways to protest that speak to them as individuals, from writing essays to leading sit-ins. It’s such an empowering, compassionate read.
- Margaret Kingsbury
Attacks on books have accelerated in the last five years, but they didn’t originate with the Trump administration and the rise of the MAGA movement’s censorship in the name of faux morality. This YA graphic novel centers the 2013 banning of Persepolis in Chicago public schools and student outrage and protests in the weeks that followed. Dapier deftly moves between teen perspectives, showing these super smart and complex kids dealing with personal anxieties while contending with censorship, and finding ways to protest that speak to them as individuals, from writing essays to leading sit-ins. It’s such an empowering, compassionate read.
- Margaret Kingsbury
April 4, 2026
With a mix of fact and fiction WAKE NOW IN THE FIRE tells a deeply true and urgent story of student activism in the face of institutional censorship and cowardice. I was swept along with these smart, passionate teens and recognized my own fight in their story. Dapier and Dungo have put together a prescient narrative face to this book ban moment. Book banners are almost always small groups of narrow-minded, bigoted adults; book defenders are scrappy coalitions of students, librarians, journalists, and teachers. Read this for a playbook on how to defend books, education, and free speech.
October 13, 2025
I devoured Wake Now in the Fire in one Sunday afternoon and evening. This graphic novel is based on the true story of the 2013 banning of Persepolis in Chicago Public Schools.
The thick, layered narrative follows more than a dozen characters at a high school—teachers, librarians, administrators, student journalists, club members, and, most importantly, the kids themselves. When their books disappeared from the library shelves, those students didn’t stay quiet. They organized sit-ins, protests, and pushback against a reluctant principal, creating a powerful blueprint for how young people can fight censorship today.
One of the most striking facts the book highlights: just eleven people were responsible for 60% of book challenges across 37 states between 2021 and 2023. As Marjane Satrapi said, “They are not so many. We are more.” These Chicago students proved it.
In a wonderfully meta way, this story defends free speech and the power of graphic novels—mediums that are accessible, engaging, and, yes, meaningful. The art here is good; the storytelling is even better. It’s monochromatic (maybe just in the ARC), and while some characters initially looked a bit similar, I quickly adjusted.
Bottom line: this one’s a winner—an inspiring, smart, and timely defense of the right to read.
The thick, layered narrative follows more than a dozen characters at a high school—teachers, librarians, administrators, student journalists, club members, and, most importantly, the kids themselves. When their books disappeared from the library shelves, those students didn’t stay quiet. They organized sit-ins, protests, and pushback against a reluctant principal, creating a powerful blueprint for how young people can fight censorship today.
One of the most striking facts the book highlights: just eleven people were responsible for 60% of book challenges across 37 states between 2021 and 2023. As Marjane Satrapi said, “They are not so many. We are more.” These Chicago students proved it.
In a wonderfully meta way, this story defends free speech and the power of graphic novels—mediums that are accessible, engaging, and, yes, meaningful. The art here is good; the storytelling is even better. It’s monochromatic (maybe just in the ARC), and while some characters initially looked a bit similar, I quickly adjusted.
Bottom line: this one’s a winner—an inspiring, smart, and timely defense of the right to read.
May 22, 2026
Based on a true 2013 story of the Chicago schools banning the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, with a plucky group of high school students who fought back. I hate to admit it, but I found this graphic novel boring despite it having all the right ingredients, as I am a teen librarian from Illinois who strongly believes in the freedom to read. While I applaud the teens who had the moxie to stand up for what's right, the length, the limited color palette, and the too many characters to keep track of made this a meh read for me.
July 4, 2026
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
I read a review of this graphic novel and came away with a misunderstanding: that it, along with Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis, the central subject of Wake Now in the Fire, has been banned by some school districts. Since I read and review banned books, I thought I had the makings of a twofer, that I could combine my 10-year-old review of Persepolis, in which I discussed details of its banning, with a new banned book review of Wake Now in the Fire.
As noted, I had misunderstood. There are no reports of Wake Now in the Fire being banned or restricted by any school districts, at least in the U.S. There goes my twofer.
In my 2016 review of Persepolis (link: https://pwoodford.net/blog/?p=16520) I wrote about the grad student who filed a FOIA request for Chicago Public Schools minutes, memoranda, directives, and correspondence related to the 2013 district-wide banning of Persepolis. It was that grad student's persistence that broke open the story, revealing that the banning came from the CEO of CPS herself, and possibly even higher, from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Turns out the author of Wake Now in the Fire is that former grad student, Jarrett Dapier, so it's clear he knows the subject well.
But Wake Now in the Fire (illustrated by A.J. Dungo) doesn't just recount the story of Persepolis' banning by CPS and the student protests that followed. It's also, maybe even more so, about the students: their lives, their troubles, their dreams ... and their stories make this more than a mere history.
Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalied history: the details of Persepolis' banning, the names and actions of the CPS administrators involved, etc., are accurate; the recounting of the student-led protests and their aftermath is factual. It is the lives of the students and some of the adults they interact with (teachers, parents, librarians, etc.) that are fictional (but as I understand based in reality). Jarrett Dapier, for one thing, changes the names of students, teachers, librarians, and even schools. For another (an interesting another at that): Dapier removes himself from the story and has a high school student file the FOIA request. That's a significant change from what actually happened, but the result ... 42 pages of sensitive emails released to student protest leaders, who take full advantage of the information contained therein to publicize and fight their case ... reflects what historically happened.
I don't know how far the lives and troubles of Dapier's fictional student leaders diverge from reality, but those lives and troubles are what make Wake Now in the Fire an engaging and memorable read. These kids are dealing with a lot ... and the result is young adult literature that crosses over into adult novel territory. Dapier tells a hell of a story.
One pissy little gripe about the illustrations: all the kids are drawn in bulky, loose clothing. They look like snowboarders, walking piles of laundry, and it can be hard to tell one from another, or girls from boys, at first. I don't know, that's probably how Chicago high schoolers dressed in 2013, and maybe most of the action happened during the winter. But I had to work a little to get into the illustrations.
Tell you what, 20 years ago I would have said graphic novels were for adults too lazy to read a real book. I have progressed since then, and when it comes to this particular graphic novel, I can honestly say I can't imagine it in any other format. It is, in and of itself, a great read.
I read a review of this graphic novel and came away with a misunderstanding: that it, along with Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis, the central subject of Wake Now in the Fire, has been banned by some school districts. Since I read and review banned books, I thought I had the makings of a twofer, that I could combine my 10-year-old review of Persepolis, in which I discussed details of its banning, with a new banned book review of Wake Now in the Fire.
As noted, I had misunderstood. There are no reports of Wake Now in the Fire being banned or restricted by any school districts, at least in the U.S. There goes my twofer.
In my 2016 review of Persepolis (link: https://pwoodford.net/blog/?p=16520) I wrote about the grad student who filed a FOIA request for Chicago Public Schools minutes, memoranda, directives, and correspondence related to the 2013 district-wide banning of Persepolis. It was that grad student's persistence that broke open the story, revealing that the banning came from the CEO of CPS herself, and possibly even higher, from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Turns out the author of Wake Now in the Fire is that former grad student, Jarrett Dapier, so it's clear he knows the subject well.
But Wake Now in the Fire (illustrated by A.J. Dungo) doesn't just recount the story of Persepolis' banning by CPS and the student protests that followed. It's also, maybe even more so, about the students: their lives, their troubles, their dreams ... and their stories make this more than a mere history.
Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalied history: the details of Persepolis' banning, the names and actions of the CPS administrators involved, etc., are accurate; the recounting of the student-led protests and their aftermath is factual. It is the lives of the students and some of the adults they interact with (teachers, parents, librarians, etc.) that are fictional (but as I understand based in reality). Jarrett Dapier, for one thing, changes the names of students, teachers, librarians, and even schools. For another (an interesting another at that): Dapier removes himself from the story and has a high school student file the FOIA request. That's a significant change from what actually happened, but the result ... 42 pages of sensitive emails released to student protest leaders, who take full advantage of the information contained therein to publicize and fight their case ... reflects what historically happened.
I don't know how far the lives and troubles of Dapier's fictional student leaders diverge from reality, but those lives and troubles are what make Wake Now in the Fire an engaging and memorable read. These kids are dealing with a lot ... and the result is young adult literature that crosses over into adult novel territory. Dapier tells a hell of a story.
One pissy little gripe about the illustrations: all the kids are drawn in bulky, loose clothing. They look like snowboarders, walking piles of laundry, and it can be hard to tell one from another, or girls from boys, at first. I don't know, that's probably how Chicago high schoolers dressed in 2013, and maybe most of the action happened during the winter. But I had to work a little to get into the illustrations.
Tell you what, 20 years ago I would have said graphic novels were for adults too lazy to read a real book. I have progressed since then, and when it comes to this particular graphic novel, I can honestly say I can't imagine it in any other format. It is, in and of itself, a great read.
March 8, 2026
A fictionalized account of a very real event. In 2013, Chicago's public school system suddenly decided to ban Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis out of nowhere. But thankfully, students couldn't stand for that, and organized a protest. CPS backpedaled and called it miscommunication. Until Jarrett Dapier decided to dig in a little more a year later, and exposed the people behind the ban.
What's interesting to me here, is that instead of telling the story straight how it happened, he kind of took the ban and protest as a basis to tell a wider story that really puts the keys to the fight in the kids' hand. He develops his characters a ton, giving them interesting backstories (maybe a little too much, to be fair, some of them are very relevant to the message, while other felt more lite tear-jerkers and kind of distract us from the main point).
Sadly though, AJ Dungo's art (aka the main reason I read this) has much less room to breathe than in his solo work, and felt much more like commission work. It's still solid, but there's a lot less that wowed me here.
All in all, I don't think it's a masterclass of a graphic novel, or ever of graphic reporting. But it's an important story with an important message that's still very, if not more, relevant today.
Not to mention, I booked Persepolis at my library about half way through the book, after pushing back on reading it for ages, so it's definitely done some thing right.
What's interesting to me here, is that instead of telling the story straight how it happened, he kind of took the ban and protest as a basis to tell a wider story that really puts the keys to the fight in the kids' hand. He develops his characters a ton, giving them interesting backstories (maybe a little too much, to be fair, some of them are very relevant to the message, while other felt more lite tear-jerkers and kind of distract us from the main point).
Sadly though, AJ Dungo's art (aka the main reason I read this) has much less room to breathe than in his solo work, and felt much more like commission work. It's still solid, but there's a lot less that wowed me here.
All in all, I don't think it's a masterclass of a graphic novel, or ever of graphic reporting. But it's an important story with an important message that's still very, if not more, relevant today.
Not to mention, I booked Persepolis at my library about half way through the book, after pushing back on reading it for ages, so it's definitely done some thing right.
March 5, 2026
5 stars for banned and challenged books!
Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Graphic for this e-ARC, and I apologise for the late review.
This was an absolutely brilliant graphic novel about the dangers of censorship and oppression, the power of speaking out, never giving up and teenagers fighting the corrupt system. Based on a true story!
The art and story itself were somehow both incredibly simplistic yet undeniably complex. Not only did this less-than-500-page graphic novel tell the story of a book banning being abolished by a group of high schoolers, but it also chronicled their experiences of school pressure, friendships, identity, finding their place in the world, family, mental health, first love and political instability, without over complicating things or taking away from the central plot. Certainly a book for our time.
I would strongly recommend reading Persepolis prior, which is itself an incredible and important book.
This was a very inspiring read, it makes you angry that we live in a world where events such as this are unfortunately a daily occurrence, yet hope as there are people who are willing to fight these injustices, and an overwhelming desire to be one of those people who battles against these many issues and dangers of our time.
At its core, this is a call to action, and I hope it reaches the right people and this action happens.
Thank you to Jarrett Dapier and A.J Dungo for this brilliant book, I say this a lot, but the world really does need stories like this at the moment.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Graphic for this e-ARC, and I apologise for the late review.
This was an absolutely brilliant graphic novel about the dangers of censorship and oppression, the power of speaking out, never giving up and teenagers fighting the corrupt system. Based on a true story!
The art and story itself were somehow both incredibly simplistic yet undeniably complex. Not only did this less-than-500-page graphic novel tell the story of a book banning being abolished by a group of high schoolers, but it also chronicled their experiences of school pressure, friendships, identity, finding their place in the world, family, mental health, first love and political instability, without over complicating things or taking away from the central plot. Certainly a book for our time.
I would strongly recommend reading Persepolis prior, which is itself an incredible and important book.
This was a very inspiring read, it makes you angry that we live in a world where events such as this are unfortunately a daily occurrence, yet hope as there are people who are willing to fight these injustices, and an overwhelming desire to be one of those people who battles against these many issues and dangers of our time.
At its core, this is a call to action, and I hope it reaches the right people and this action happens.
Thank you to Jarrett Dapier and A.J Dungo for this brilliant book, I say this a lot, but the world really does need stories like this at the moment.
July 13, 2026
Censorship of the word does not end on paper, but on the skin of human beings.
-- Herta Muller
Index on Censorship
September 10, 2018
Before we say goodbye, give us something to believe in.
--Alkaline Trio
Wake Now in the Fire: A Story of Censorship, Action, Love, and Hope
by Jarrett Dapier & AJ Dungo
Published 2026
TEN SPEED GRAPHIC (An imprint of Ten Speed Press)
A division of Penguin Random House
From the jacket
–Jarrett is a Chicago-area librarian and a recipient of the John Philip Immroth Memorial Award from the American Library Association for his work exposing book censorship in Chicago Public Schools.
–AJ is a graduate of ArtCenter College of Design. His first graphic novel won an ALA Alex award.
Dedications
JD: For Elizabeth
AJD: For the teachers, librarians, and students who fight back
Wake Now in the Fire is a graphic novel that mixes facts with fiction regarding incidents that took place in Chicago, IL starting around the time of March 11, 2013, involving the attempted censorship of the book, _Persepolis_ as decided by Chicago Public Schools. The school in the novel is Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School. The student body are highly intelligent and highly motivated students who learn that morning that a representative from Chicago Public Schools has come to take away all copies of the book from the library and from any teachers who have copies of it.
Per wikipedia, _Persepolis_:
Persepolis (French: Persépolis) is a series of autobiographical graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi that depict her childhood and early adult years in Iran and Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution. The title Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. Originally published in French, Persepolis has been translated to many other languages. As of 2018, it has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
French comics publisher L’Association published the original work in four volumes between 2000 and 2003. Pantheon Books (North America) and Jonathan Cape (United Kingdom) published the English translations in two volumes – one in 2003 and the other in 2004. Omnibus editions in French and English followed in 2007, coinciding with the theatrical release of the film adaptation.
Due to its graphic language and images, there is controversy surrounding the use of Persepolis in classrooms in the United States. Persepolis was featured on the American Library Association’s list of Top Ten Most Challenged Books in 2014.
The graphic novel is a primer for teachers, school administrators, students, and media with integrity in how to collaborate with each other in fighting back against censorship. The story focuses on a dozen or so student leaders who commit to lead the battle against those who want to censor the book. The censors don’t stand a chance against them!
Each of these dozen are shown in both their school and home environments. They are excellent students who work together like a very effective machine at school. At home, each are dealing with personal issues that challenge their strength to carry on the fight against censorship. Importantly, it shows how the students’ friendships morph over time with what they are doing. By the end of the almost 500-page book, I felt I got to know these kids and their parents. I admire them for using their creative skills and for their perseverance.
The 8” x 6” volume is illustrated in shades of black, white, blue, and splashes of red; red is reserved for the book cover of the book at risk of censorship.
I know things have changed a lot with fascists attempting to not only ban books and facts but rewrite history since 2014. I do recommend this book to anyone, but particularly anyone who works at a library and/or school with a library. Most especially I recommend it for young people who want some excellent ideas on how to fight back peacefully against censorship.
-- Herta Muller
Index on Censorship
September 10, 2018
Before we say goodbye, give us something to believe in.
--Alkaline Trio
Wake Now in the Fire: A Story of Censorship, Action, Love, and Hope
by Jarrett Dapier & AJ Dungo
Published 2026
TEN SPEED GRAPHIC (An imprint of Ten Speed Press)
A division of Penguin Random House
From the jacket
–Jarrett is a Chicago-area librarian and a recipient of the John Philip Immroth Memorial Award from the American Library Association for his work exposing book censorship in Chicago Public Schools.
–AJ is a graduate of ArtCenter College of Design. His first graphic novel won an ALA Alex award.
Dedications
JD: For Elizabeth
AJD: For the teachers, librarians, and students who fight back
Wake Now in the Fire is a graphic novel that mixes facts with fiction regarding incidents that took place in Chicago, IL starting around the time of March 11, 2013, involving the attempted censorship of the book, _Persepolis_ as decided by Chicago Public Schools. The school in the novel is Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School. The student body are highly intelligent and highly motivated students who learn that morning that a representative from Chicago Public Schools has come to take away all copies of the book from the library and from any teachers who have copies of it.
Per wikipedia, _Persepolis_:
Persepolis (French: Persépolis) is a series of autobiographical graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi that depict her childhood and early adult years in Iran and Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution. The title Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. Originally published in French, Persepolis has been translated to many other languages. As of 2018, it has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
French comics publisher L’Association published the original work in four volumes between 2000 and 2003. Pantheon Books (North America) and Jonathan Cape (United Kingdom) published the English translations in two volumes – one in 2003 and the other in 2004. Omnibus editions in French and English followed in 2007, coinciding with the theatrical release of the film adaptation.
Due to its graphic language and images, there is controversy surrounding the use of Persepolis in classrooms in the United States. Persepolis was featured on the American Library Association’s list of Top Ten Most Challenged Books in 2014.
The graphic novel is a primer for teachers, school administrators, students, and media with integrity in how to collaborate with each other in fighting back against censorship. The story focuses on a dozen or so student leaders who commit to lead the battle against those who want to censor the book. The censors don’t stand a chance against them!
Each of these dozen are shown in both their school and home environments. They are excellent students who work together like a very effective machine at school. At home, each are dealing with personal issues that challenge their strength to carry on the fight against censorship. Importantly, it shows how the students’ friendships morph over time with what they are doing. By the end of the almost 500-page book, I felt I got to know these kids and their parents. I admire them for using their creative skills and for their perseverance.
The 8” x 6” volume is illustrated in shades of black, white, blue, and splashes of red; red is reserved for the book cover of the book at risk of censorship.
I know things have changed a lot with fascists attempting to not only ban books and facts but rewrite history since 2014. I do recommend this book to anyone, but particularly anyone who works at a library and/or school with a library. Most especially I recommend it for young people who want some excellent ideas on how to fight back peacefully against censorship.
April 26, 2026
I'm a sucker for any story about a scrappy resistance force of students, librarians, and teachers fighting against censorship!
It was a fairly compelling narrative and the characters had interesting arcs, but I think what I admire most about the book is its instructional value. This is a great playbook for activists everywhere, and a wonderful real life example of how community organization and protest DOES work. Also there is a lot of great stuff in here to use for a journalism unit in high school.
On the downside, my shame about never finishing Persepolis has only deepened. I'll have to give it another go ASAP!
It was a fairly compelling narrative and the characters had interesting arcs, but I think what I admire most about the book is its instructional value. This is a great playbook for activists everywhere, and a wonderful real life example of how community organization and protest DOES work. Also there is a lot of great stuff in here to use for a journalism unit in high school.
On the downside, my shame about never finishing Persepolis has only deepened. I'll have to give it another go ASAP!
April 7, 2026
How had I not heard about the banning of Persepolis in Chicago in 2013? I love that this was a graphic novel about a graphic novel. VERY good though some of the invented teen speak by the adult author seemed a little inauthentic
April 28, 2026
this book couldn’t have found its way to me at a better time. absolutely stellar
March 21, 2026
Based on a true story and written as a graphic novel. I picked up this book partly due to having a friend who teaches English at Lane. I loved how the book combined the story of the book ban with high schoolers and their challenges and triumphs. The pressure to get into an elite college. It also illustrates that we are often ruled by the vocal minority. As the author of Persepolis stated “They are not so many. We are more.” Good reminder these days.
March 12, 2026
Once I started this, I couldn't stop! I was completely sucked in - even though I actually knew exactly what was going to happen, I still *needed to know* in the moment.
This graphic novel is so incredibly important and is so insanely relevant, it's almost meta to read a book that is about things that happened not that long ago and yet is also actively happening now.
In Chicago, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood really was banned in a school district, just like we see here. Like Jarrett's authors note states, the events in this book really happened, even if the names/identities of the people/characters have been changed. Reading this was so inspiring, and definitely felt like it lit a fire inside.
If anyone hasn't read this yet, you definitely need to add it to your TBR - bonus points for buying a copy or checking it out from your local library!!
This graphic novel is so incredibly important and is so insanely relevant, it's almost meta to read a book that is about things that happened not that long ago and yet is also actively happening now.
In Chicago, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood really was banned in a school district, just like we see here. Like Jarrett's authors note states, the events in this book really happened, even if the names/identities of the people/characters have been changed. Reading this was so inspiring, and definitely felt like it lit a fire inside.
If anyone hasn't read this yet, you definitely need to add it to your TBR - bonus points for buying a copy or checking it out from your local library!!
March 1, 2026
✨ Review ✨ Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier, illustrated by AJ Dungo
Thanks to Ten Speed Graphic and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
Book banning is an issue that should matter to us all! This graphic novel shares a fictionalized account of a true story in the Chicago Public Schools about a decade ago, when the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was banned in the schools. The author shares multiple perspectives here, based on interviews with students and teachers who were involved. It feels like you're being dropped int he middle of the school.
The book shows the complex layers in these book banning cases, where news trickles in, often without clear reasons or rationales. Moving from classrooms to library, the ban shifts and grows and recedes across the book. Students organize to fight back with a walkout and a library sit-in. They share their story on social media, in the school newspaper, with journalists, and beyond.
This book is very impactful in reminding us of the power we have when we band together to fight change. I loved how it gave us glimpses into students' lives and showed how they balanced this fight with the things happening in their everyday lives -- family drama, pressures to be ready for college, first loves, and more.
Books like these are must reads in times of authoritarianism, book bans, and censorship.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: fictionalized account of real events, graphic novel
Setting: Chicago Public Schools
Pub Date: Februrary 2026
Read this if you like:
⭕️ brave students
⭕️ resistance and activism
⭕️ fighting book bans
⭕️ coming-of-age, multi POV
Thanks to Ten Speed Graphic and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
Book banning is an issue that should matter to us all! This graphic novel shares a fictionalized account of a true story in the Chicago Public Schools about a decade ago, when the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was banned in the schools. The author shares multiple perspectives here, based on interviews with students and teachers who were involved. It feels like you're being dropped int he middle of the school.
The book shows the complex layers in these book banning cases, where news trickles in, often without clear reasons or rationales. Moving from classrooms to library, the ban shifts and grows and recedes across the book. Students organize to fight back with a walkout and a library sit-in. They share their story on social media, in the school newspaper, with journalists, and beyond.
This book is very impactful in reminding us of the power we have when we band together to fight change. I loved how it gave us glimpses into students' lives and showed how they balanced this fight with the things happening in their everyday lives -- family drama, pressures to be ready for college, first loves, and more.
Books like these are must reads in times of authoritarianism, book bans, and censorship.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: fictionalized account of real events, graphic novel
Setting: Chicago Public Schools
Pub Date: Februrary 2026
Read this if you like:
⭕️ brave students
⭕️ resistance and activism
⭕️ fighting book bans
⭕️ coming-of-age, multi POV
February 23, 2026
This fantastic graphic novel tells the story of the 2013 attempt to ban Persepolis in the Chicago Public Schools, and the work local teens put in to overturning the ban. Using a combination of facts and fiction, we get a deeply personal look at the battle for the book as well as glimpses into the lives of the teens involve. All of the teens have more going on in their lives than just a decision that their school made, but they show up in different ways throughout the battle. With a limited color palette and thick line work, the focus is really drawn to the characters. It would work as an excellent companion piece to read with Persepolis as well as standing on its own as a timely read about book banning. One of the things I appreciate most about the book was both the way it showed that people can fight for the same cause in a myriad of different ways as and how institutional censorship by organizations works. It’s a fantastic read that I highly recommend. Five out of five stars.
February 26, 2026
I loooooved this. Not just the central story about the protests, but the side plots about the characters' private struggles. Dapier did a beautiful job of capturing the spirit of a large Chicago high school, and of teenagers themselves--the hopefulness, the vulnerability, the rashness, the innate sense of justice which hasn't been tainted with bitterness.
October 19, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!!!
This was a fantastic & emotional read. As a librarian I had the experience of this kind of fanatic behavior toward banning books especially when it came to marginalized voices like the ones in the book. I had no experience with this event even though I was about the same age as the seniors in this (18) so that was another insight.
Overall this book is definitely something I think everyone should read & familiarize themselves with.
This book took me by surprise in the best possible way. I had not really heard much about this particular story ahead of reading this despite being around the same age as the kids in the book when this was happening (though I had graduated a year before.) But as a kid from the south, I know the particulars that can come along with dissent in literature choices. This was a great story to read, I did so mostly in one sitting as I just got truly absorbed. I also loved the art style that the book has, it's simple enough that you don't need anything else to understand what's going on.
As far as getting this book on the rounds, as soon as it's possible I will definitely be fitting this into a recommendation for a YA crowd, honestly any crowd. I also did check out Persepolis, which I had not read before this & was glad that I did so. Overall, a fantastic insightful & well written read with the research to back it up. I'll be interested to see how this author continues their journey.
This was a fantastic & emotional read. As a librarian I had the experience of this kind of fanatic behavior toward banning books especially when it came to marginalized voices like the ones in the book. I had no experience with this event even though I was about the same age as the seniors in this (18) so that was another insight.
Overall this book is definitely something I think everyone should read & familiarize themselves with.
This book took me by surprise in the best possible way. I had not really heard much about this particular story ahead of reading this despite being around the same age as the kids in the book when this was happening (though I had graduated a year before.) But as a kid from the south, I know the particulars that can come along with dissent in literature choices. This was a great story to read, I did so mostly in one sitting as I just got truly absorbed. I also loved the art style that the book has, it's simple enough that you don't need anything else to understand what's going on.
As far as getting this book on the rounds, as soon as it's possible I will definitely be fitting this into a recommendation for a YA crowd, honestly any crowd. I also did check out Persepolis, which I had not read before this & was glad that I did so. Overall, a fantastic insightful & well written read with the research to back it up. I'll be interested to see how this author continues their journey.
Did Not Finish
June 30, 2026UGH. This graphic novel had so much potential, but it's a bloated, overlong slog. I wish the author had just written a fact-based, nonfiction graphic novel about this true story, instead of fictionalizing so many elements and making up coming-of-age narratives for imaginary characters.
The pacing is awful, and it is difficult to tell the characters apart, due to a lack of distinguishing details in the art. I couldn't keep track of all of these side stories about the students' home lives and teen angst, and I didn't feel motivated to, since I knew it wasn't relevant to the true story. I just wanted to read about the real actions taken against the book ban!
This book did NOT need to be 464 pages, and did not need to follow so many random story threads that the author made up. I found the premise intriguing, but I gave up halfway through this graphic novel, because I couldn't deal with this anymore.
The pacing is awful, and it is difficult to tell the characters apart, due to a lack of distinguishing details in the art. I couldn't keep track of all of these side stories about the students' home lives and teen angst, and I didn't feel motivated to, since I knew it wasn't relevant to the true story. I just wanted to read about the real actions taken against the book ban!
This book did NOT need to be 464 pages, and did not need to follow so many random story threads that the author made up. I found the premise intriguing, but I gave up halfway through this graphic novel, because I couldn't deal with this anymore.
June 5, 2026
This nonfiction graphic novel tells the story of the Chicago public school student walk out upon the banning of Persepolis in 2012. This book is about much more as it looks at multiple kids in the school and things that are going on in their lives. From kids remember what it’s like to have limited access to books, to kids who see constant depictions of brutality on the news nightly because of Chicago police. How living with those things daily makes the banning of Persepolis a tragedy, because they experience worse in their everyday life. This book was well done. It was a tad long, since it was about more than just the book banning, and the lives of a whole bunch of kids. It was all needed to get them to a place in the story that makes sense. Overall, I liked the book and it’s a very interesting look at the beginning. But I’m not sure how popular this book will be outside Illinois.
June 10, 2026
I taught in a high school. I taught Persepolis in that high school. No one ever tried to stop my teaching of the book and I saw how meaningful it was to some students. It also allowed me to get a graphic novel in the curriculum and into many students’ hands. So I can relate to much of this story even fictionalized as it was. The drama of the students’ lives adds heart to the story but it also adds many pages and distracts from the main story. But without those side-stories about students’ families and high school lives, and without the climactic high-five of the student journalists getting the true story (which actually happened for the author many years later), this might have been a pretty short, simple story. Nevertheless, it read quickly and I was engaged to see how all the stories would wrap up. I did find the characters hard to differentiate at times, especially early. And I sort of remember some use of the title or a version of it just briefly but it still seems like a bad one for this book.
April 24, 2026
Amazing read on how censorship affects youth, and how book banning takes away intellectual freedom rights from all of us. Books are being challenged and banned more than ever, and the titles being banned demonstrate a clear agenda from the ones banning them. It’s scary. It’s serious. Protect your right to read and to speak, because once they have that, they can, and will, take more.
July 11, 2026
This was an eye-opening historical graphic novel about a school system in Chicago that attempted to ban the graphic novel, Persepolis, and the ensuing backlash that occurred in retaliation.
I learned a lot from this graphic novel! It was really nice to see teens empowered and confident teens tackling something together.
I felt the art style was a little lacking. On the flip side, I think this was much more palatable to read about in this style than just words on a page, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I also felt like there were so many characters to keep track of. We get to really know three main characters, but we also jumped back and forth between the perspective of several other side characters, which made the story difficult to follow at times.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read for the Young Adult committee that I am on. It is certainly a timely topic, for sure!
I learned a lot from this graphic novel! It was really nice to see teens empowered and confident teens tackling something together.
I felt the art style was a little lacking. On the flip side, I think this was much more palatable to read about in this style than just words on a page, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I also felt like there were so many characters to keep track of. We get to really know three main characters, but we also jumped back and forth between the perspective of several other side characters, which made the story difficult to follow at times.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read for the Young Adult committee that I am on. It is certainly a timely topic, for sure!
July 25, 2026
A great story with beautiful artwork. There are many (one could argue: too many) characters, but I enjoyed seeing all of their stories play out.
More than a decade after CPS’s banning of Persepolis, book banning has only become more widespread in the United States.* As in the author’s note, “the right to read what we want is one of our most precious liberties.”
*The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom “documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged) in 2025. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025” (https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data)
More than a decade after CPS’s banning of Persepolis, book banning has only become more widespread in the United States.* As in the author’s note, “the right to read what we want is one of our most precious liberties.”
*The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom “documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged) in 2025. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025” (https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data)
February 16, 2026
Very timely book about censorship. This particular book is about the banning of the book Persepolis from Chicago Public Schools in 2013 and how students protested. I love books that show kids as activists.
April 1, 2026
An incredible graphic novel on book banning & the fight against it.
July 17, 2026
A story of censorship, free speech, youth activism, empowering teachers, and the importance of libraries, put in the context of a true story that treats teen issues as real and important.
April 27, 2026
It was a lovely graphic novel about the effects of book banning and how the youth aren't as dumb as people make them out to be.
April 13, 2026
Loved this book, hate how relevant it is to the state of politics in Alberta. Gender Queer is the new Persepolis in today's book-banning world.
The author did such a good job of interweaving the actual historical event of the CPS book ban with real, heartfelt, human moments and struggles in the youth represented in this graphic novel. I especially loved the acknowledgement of why so many graphic novels are targeted by uninformed, non-reader adults.
Great book, will definitely re-read.
The author did such a good job of interweaving the actual historical event of the CPS book ban with real, heartfelt, human moments and struggles in the youth represented in this graphic novel. I especially loved the acknowledgement of why so many graphic novels are targeted by uninformed, non-reader adults.
Great book, will definitely re-read.
June 14, 2026
Important story about censorship and making those in charge accountable for their actions. I'm not crazy about the art style, unfortunately. It made it hard for me to distinguish between characters and, therefore, care about them.
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