NPR · 34 days ago

'Wake Now in the Fire' Tells Tale of 'Persepolis' School Ban

When Chicago Public Schools abruptly restricted access to *Persepolis* in 2013, students at Lane Tech High School did something many had never done before: they organized, investigated, and spoke out. Jarrett Dapier's graphic novel *Wake Now in the Fire* follows fictional students like Aditi, who moved from Mumbai to Chicago in part for freedom, only to watch a book she identified with disappear from classrooms without explanation. The students -- juggling homework, college applications, and typical teenage conflicts -- channeled their anger into journalism, protests, and what one character calls "beautiful disappearances," the melding of individual voices into collective action. "It's time for us to have our voices heard," one real-life student told the press at the time, and the book captures both the urgency of that moment and its uncomfortable resonance today, as book bans continue to multiply. What emerges is a reminder that young people have always known what adults sometimes forget: that the freedom to read freely is worth defending, even when you're still figuring out who you are.