Wake Now in the Fire - by Jarrett Dapier (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A BOOKLIST BEST YA GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR - In this "thoughtful, personal, and deeply relevant" (Booklist, starred review) 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.

"An inspiring, clear-eyed tribute to intellectual freedom and the impact of youth-led resistance."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A timely piece of literature and an urgent call to action."--School Library Journal (starred review)

It starts as an update at one Chicago high school: 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 clear: 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 clear: 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 can: social media, the press, classes, clubs, the school paper. And most of all, they get everyone they know to read the book: 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 the most urgent issues of our time, and a passionate reminder of why protecting the books we love matters.

Review Quotes

"A community under fire. A burgeoning love story. An urgent call to action. What more do you need? Frame by frame, Dapier and Dungo's Wake Now in the Fire throws us in the thick of our here and now reality with marching orders, and hope."--Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor recipient and three-time National Book Award finalist

"A sweeping 463-page graphic novel with art by A.J. Dungo . . . [Jarrett Dapier] interviewed teachers, principals, librarians, many students involved in the protests."--Chicago Tribune

"The plot of Wake Now in the Fire moves seamlessly between different characters, students affected in all sorts of ways by the pulling of [Persepolis]."--NPR

"These are teens discovering the power they have to enact change when they work together, and this graphic novel helps young readers understand the ways that they can organize and mobilize to fight for a shared cause."--The A.V. Club

"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."--Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir

"Many of the threads seen in today's censorship efforts are clear in this story from over a decade ago, including how students were quick to recognize that stories from marginalized perspectives are most easily targeted."--Book Riot

"Wake Now in the Fire has direct relevance to what's happening in America today, which should make it required reading in modern classrooms. But it also features some surprisingly relatable adolescent angst and, more importantly, a reassuring account of teens directing their angry, hormonal energy toward something constructive."--Washington Independent Review of Books

"I love how the personal stories of the characters--who they are and where they are--intersect with their quest for the freedom to read and to be. I couldn't put Wake Now in the Fire down."--Francisco X. Stork, author of One Last Chance to Live and Disappeared

"This well-wrought graphic novel showcases the folly of censorship and the power students can have when they actively defend their freedom to learn and read."--Rain Taxi

"Perfect for visual learners, this powerful story inspires hope and action in the face of oppression."--Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian

"Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo's Wake Now in the Fire is a stunning call to action that will inspire seeds of hope in a time that demands our defiance and imagination to create a better world."--Andrea Chalupa, host of the podcast Gaslit Nation and author of In the Shadow of Stalin: The Story of Mr. Jones

"An inspiring, clear-eyed tribute to intellectual freedom and the impact of youth-led resistance."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This thoughtful, personal, and deeply relevant account of book censorship and the power of collective action to fight against it will be acutely empowering for teens, many of whom are facing similar censorship fights in their own schools today."--Booklist, starred review

"As schools and libraries face book bans across the country, this is a compelling choice, a timely piece of literature, and an urgent call to action."--School Library Journal, starred review

"Authentic-feeling dialogue from Dapier adds verve to nuanced, sophisticated conversations about censorship, while the perceptive protagonists' interactions and alternating inner monologues offer accessible emotional through lines."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Jarrett Dapier is a Chicago-area librarian and the recipient of the John Phillip Immroth Award from the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Round Table for his work exposing book censorship in the Chicago Public Schools. He is the author of several award-winning picture books for children, one of which has faced several censorship attempts.

AJ Dungo is a graduate of ArtCenter College of Design. He has worked with Nike, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Bleacher Report, Doubleday & Cartwright, This American Life, The Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, and Virgin Orbit. His first graphic novel, In Waves, was an NPR Favorite Book and an ALA Alex Award winner.