Ten Speed Graphic has announced a new original graphic novel, Wake Now in the Fire, that tells the story of the Chicago school system’s decision to remove Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis from its shelves and the student movement to restore it (see “Chicago Public Schools Told Not to Remove ‘Persepolis’”). Jarrett Dapier, a local librarian who received the John Phillip Immroth Award from the American Library Association for his work exposing the attempt to censor the book, is the writer, and the artist is AJ Dungo, who won the ALA’s Alex Award for In Waves. The book, which is based not only on Dapier’s own experiences but also on interviews with the students and teachers who were involved, tells the story of the students who campaigned to stop the book from being removed. While the characters and dialogue are fictional, the graphic novel closely follows the sequence of events around the banning and the book’s ultimate restoration to high school libraries.
Ten Speed Graphic will release the 464-page graphic novel on February 3, 2026, as a paperback with an MSRP of $24.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $38.00.
Source: ICv2
