Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo’s Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalized graphic recreation of the 2013 banning of Marjane Satrapi’s acclaimed graphic memoir Persepolis from the Chicago Public School system and the passionate response from students, teachers, and librarians in defense of the book. Through extensive graduate study research and a FOIA request (combined with Dungo’s bold line drawings), Dapier, a young adult librarian in 2013, has produced a vibrant, inspiring tale that celebrates the actions and ensuing maturation of a group of high school students determined to fight for their right to read freely.
In this 13-page excerpt, students Aoife and Kendall spread the word about the Persepolis ban and make plans to organize a student protest. Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo will be published in February by Ten Speed Graphic.
