Book Ban Echoes: New Novel Recounts Protest

Thirteen years ago, a Chicago school administrator's demand for all copies of Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" sparked a student protest. This event, an unusual case of book banning in Chicago, is now chronicled in Jarrett Dapier's graphic novel, "Wake Now in the Fire." The book honors the students' immediate rally against the confiscation, which was reportedly over a drawing of torture.

Dapier, then a librarian, was outraged and later pursued the story through graduate research and a FOIA request. His investigation revealed that the ban's origin was not parental concern but a CPS network chief, who escalated the issue to then-CPS head Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Despite initial denials, emails showed her immediate agreement to remove the book from all schools.