Lifestyle
This tale of a Chicago school book ban was inspired by true events
There’s a famous scene in Betty Smith’s bestselling coming-of-age novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in which Smith describes the relationship her protagonist, 11-year-old Francie Nolan, has with her local public library: “Francie thought that all the books in the world were in that library and she had a plan about reading all the books in the world.”
I couldn’t help but think of little Francie Nolan – who, like Smith, grew up in the tenements of Brooklyn in the early 20th century and aimed, as a young girl, to read every book she could find – as I tore through librarian Jarrett Dapier’s debut young adult graphic novel, Wake Now in the Fire. The book, illustrated by AJ Dungo, is a fictionalized account of real-life events. In 2013, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) suddenly restricted access to Marjane Satrapi’s memoir, Persepolis, without explanation of its decision-making process, in some of the school system’s classrooms. This now world-famous autobiographical work, told in comics, tells the story of a young girl and her family as they endure and witness the struggle and violence of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, and all that comes after.
Fictional high schooler Aditi, one of the central characters in Dapier’s book, identifies with little Marji, Persepolis’ precocious, head-strong narrator and protagonist. Like many other students at her high school, Aditi is powerfully affected by the book ban. She describes her experience of moving from Mumbai to Chicago, where the bulk of Wake Now takes place, in terms of her interactions with public libraries. As a young girl in Mumbai, she is allowed to take out only a single book a day. She gets around this strict rule by checking one book out first thing in the morning, reading as quickly and diligently as possible, then returning to take out a new book once the librarians have changed shifts at noon. When Aditi moves to Chicago, a relocation her parents make in part to protect their family’s freedoms, she is astounded to learn that she can check out up to 30 books at a time.
A page from Wake Now in the Fire.
Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo/Ten Speed Graphic
hide caption
toggle caption
Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo/Ten Speed Graphic
Like Satrapi’s young alter-ego, Aditi, too, has strong-willed parents who encourage their daughter to “think for myself. To learn, and to be free.” But the focus in Dapier’s work, as in Satrapi’s, is not so much on the actions of adults as it is on the effects of those actions on young people and their reactions. In preparation for the book – which stemmed in part from a graduate thesis paper Dapier wrote – the author interviewed students at Lane Technical College Preparatory High School in Chicago. This is the school that acted as the basis for the fictionalized high school in the book. The students at Lane Tech were at the frontlines of reporting on and resisting the Persepolis ban. Indeed two seniors, who were at the center of many related activities at the time, appeared in a March 2013 episode of Chicago Tonight to eloquently summarize what this experience had meant to them and why they had chosen, essentially for the first time in their lives, to organize a protest in response to events. “It’s time for us to have our voices heard,” senior Katie McDermott told the press.
The plot of Wake Now in the Fire moves seamlessly between different characters, students affected in all sorts of ways by the pulling of the book. The student journalists investigate CPS’ actions, focusing, too, on gathering impact statements from as many students and teachers as they can find, and disseminating that information to the wider public. Meanwhile, members of the banned book club at school, among others, plan actions, like a walk out, to demonstrate their objection to the CPS order. Others, like Aditi, find themselves newly invested in taking on leadership roles in their communities. But these are high schoolers, too, who are dealing with all the issues and conflicts that unfold in day-to-day life. They worry about their grades and getting into college; they struggle with family matters; they bicker with one another even as they are learning together how to turn frustration and anger into peaceful, and meaningful, action. Ultimately, in the novel as in life, Persepolis was allowed to remain in CPS libraries, and teachers, with required additional training, can teach the book in 8-10 grade classrooms. The book remains forbidden in CPS classrooms below eighth grade, due to concerns about depictions of violence.
Dapier, in an author’s note, notes how the pulling of the book in 2013 “foreshadows our current moment,” when, according to the American Library Association, targeted attempts to censor books continue to grow. “Censoring literature,” one character in the book, a teacher, explains, “is often where oppression starts.” At the same time, young people, in Iran as well as in the U.S., have energetically, and often at great risk to themselves, taken to the streets in order to stand up for their rights. Through these actions, there’s a sense of melding into something bigger than oneself – “beautiful disappearances,” as one character in the book describes it.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’s Francie Nolan found solace, joy, and possibility in the books she freely took out of the library, then read at her leisure in the shade of an ailanthus tree. Countless readers over the years have identified with the power of that scene. And today, countless young people bravely continue the fight for their rights to have access to such powerful scenes and stories.
King Charles III talked eloquently of its historic importance in his speech to a joint session of Congress. President Trump praised it in his toast at the state dinner for the king’s visit to Washington. But nowhere was the special relationship between the United States and Britain more obvious than in the wardrobes of Queen Camilla and Melania Trump. They didn’t just compliment each other. They looked complementary.
Their husbands may have dressed to represent their offices, the king in his trademark Savile Row pinstripes, pocket handkerchief nattily puffed, the president in his red, white and blue. But the women, in their multiple outfits, did a lot of the subliminal work, practically shouting through their seams “hands across the ocean.” For a story that would be told mostly in photo ops and brand values — Trump brand, royal brand, fashion brands — that mattered.
In this at least the queen and the first lady seemed visibly on the same page. And while that may have been expected from Camilla, whose job is built on and defined by symbolism, it was more of a surprise from Mrs. Trump, who often seems as interested in pursuing her own agenda and protecting her privacy (all those hats and coats) as she is in supporting her husband’s or catering to the public eye.
Which may reflect not only the first couple’s well-known esteem for the royals, but also how much the royals understand and can leverage their appeal to the Trumps.
The sartorial outreach started as soon as the king and queen deplaned on Monday, Camilla in a light pink Dior coatdress — Dior being one of Mrs. Trump’s go-to designers and the brand she wore on the first day of her state visit to Britain. Dior, as it happens, is also synonymous with well-appointed luxury. Owned by the French billionaire Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH and a guest at the Trump inauguration, the label is designed by Jonathan Anderson, who is from Northern Ireland. In other words, it ticks both the diplomatic protocol box and the Trump taste box.
And if that wasn’t bonding enough, a Cartier pin on the coatdress Camilla wore had been given to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 on her first official visit to the United States and features a conjoined Union Jack and Stars and Stripes, a reminder of just how long this particular allyship has existed.
It set the tone for the trip.
The women also mirrored each other’s choices in shade (springlike) and sourcing (local designers) at their first meeting on Monday. The first lady wore a buttery yellow form-fitting skirt suit by Adam Lippes, the New York designer who made her inauguration coat, and the queen, a white Anna Valentine coatdress edged in floral embroidery.
Which turned out to be simply a prelude to the official military greeting the next day, when Mrs. Trump wore white (Ralph Lauren) and Camilla’s mint green look by Fiona Clare, a London couturier, was so pale it seemed white. And the similarities didn’t stop there. The outfits had similar nipped-in besuited lines and were topped with wide-brimmed straw hats that almost matched.
Even more strikingly, Camilla wore another historic piece of jewelry: the Cullinan V brooch, which features an 18.8-carat heart-shaped diamond, one of nine stones cut from the 3,000-carat Cullinan diamond originally given to Edward VII. (Two other Cullinan diamonds were incorporated into the British royal scepter and the imperial crown of Britain.) It was a souvenir from the notional vaults of Buckingham Palace, the place Mr. Trump posted he “always wanted to live,” and a canny nod to the president’s admiration for royal trimmings — and the equation of size with importance.
Still, perhaps no images were as striking in their subtext as those unveiled Tuesday night at the first white-tie state dinner since 2007.
That was when the first lady opted for a light pink strapless gown, also by Dior, just like Camilla’s pink arrival coat. (Coincidence? Doubtful.) And it wasn’t any old pink; it was delphinium pink, delphinium being one of the king’s favorite flowers. (Notably, the dress was custom-made, like Mrs. Trump’s Ralph Lauren suit before it. Clearly, designers no longer have any reservations not only about seeing their clothes bought by the Trumps, but also about working with the Trumps.)
Camilla was also in pink, albeit more of a fuchsia shade, again by Fiona Clare, this time paired with an enormous amethyst and diamond necklace that once belonged to Queen Victoria. The king may have given the president a golden bell as a dinner gift and offered a toast that was a master class in tact, but the queen in her opulent gems gave him something else: the opportunity to feel like royalty for a night.
Fashion, it turns out, can be as effective a tool when it comes to flattery as any words.
Who doesn’t love a seaside soundbath or a spa day? But wellness is expensive — and self-care shouldn’t break the bank. So we’ve curated a handful of free wellness activities for the month of May to keep you stretched, sane and grounded.
But first: One of these events is blending wellness, culture, community and healing in an interesting way.
For more than 38 years the World Stage Performance Gallery, in South Los Angeles’ Leimert Park, has presented live music, poetry, spoken word and other forms of cultural expression in its performance gallery. On May 23, it will stage its first annual Sacred Music and Healing Festival in Leimert Park.
It’s an ambitious undertaking, says Executive Director Dwight Trible. The idea behind the festival, he says, is that “music is medicine.”
“At a time when many are seeking restoration, grounding and connection,” he said, “we are creating a space where sound, rhythm and collective presence become tools for healing.”
We caught up with Trible to learn more about the free event in a conversation that has been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve been thinking about staging this festival for years. Why finally do so now?
The time is right to do this. Democracy is just barely visible and hanging on. I think we have a rogue administration and I do believe that they’re pushing swiftly towards a fascist regime. Most people that I encounter are very, very angry about [that]. And whenever there is some upheaval in the world, or in our community, Leimert Park has always been this galvanizing place where everybody comes together to learn what’s going on, to find out what the solutions are and what the marching orders are. Usually it’s about some kind of injustice that’s happening to the black and brown community. This time we just felt that the way of counteracting the upheaval and negativity that exists currently in our country was to look at it from a different perspective: with love, compassion, faith and education.
(Illustration by Robbin Burnham WACSO / For The Times)
How is the festival different than a traditional music festival?
It’s a wellness experience shaped through culture, where jazz, Indigenous traditions and healing arts come together in one shared space. We wanted to make it as diverse as possible. To not only have the African-oriented or African American music, but music from Mexico, Indigenous Native American music, Asian music, so people can be exposed to different forms of spiritual music. Most of the time in South Los Angeles we will go to the church and hear this sort of gospel Baptist music — and there will be some of that too — but there are all sorts of ways to express your spiritual views. So we wanted to have something that everybody can relate to.
How exactly is music healing, in your opinion?
We’ve all been to concerts — whether symphonic music or jazz or new age music — and we go in with one mindset and when we come out, we have a completely different disposition. I think music is one of the strongest ways of healing. Music is medicine. It’s sometimes better than taking pharmaceutical drugs. It changes your mind, your mental state, your spiritual state. When you surrender to the music it’s definitely something that’s going to transform. Music has a direct impact on the nervous system. Hopefully it will calm the body, shift emotional states and create a sense of connection. I hope that people from all over the city will come.
What other wellness offerings will be at the festival?
We have a main stage, which will have [musicians]. But there will be two other tents. In one, there will be people doing yoga, tai chi — the more physical things of peace and healing. Then we have another tent where there will be presentations on herbs and meditation and other ways of healing people’s bodies. There will be about 25 booths with other people [showcasing] healing remedies and some of the hospitals will be talking about mental health.
Who will be performing?
One of our founders of the World Stage, he’s a poet, Kamau Daáood. We’ll have Carlos Niño & Friends and I’m sure he’ll bring a special guest. The great pianist Eric Reed. Jimetta Rose Voices of Creation. I do progressive music and I’ll have a group playing there as well. We’ll also have people from our spoken word workshop who will be doing presentations throughout the day. There’s a store called Nappily Naturals & Apothecary in Leimert Park — they do healing remedies and meditation — and they will be curating the healing tent.
You’ve said the festival reflects “a deeper narrative emerging in Los Angeles.” What is that?
I think the narrative is: there has got to be another way to do things rather than to try and use force against force. We [can’t] bring peace by bringing war. I know that a lot of people are getting tired of what’s going on and thinking about how do we stop this? You have a person leading the country and they’re prepared to use guns and ammunition to be able to make sure they can keep doing whatever they’ve set out to do. You have to go at it another way. The power of love is stronger than the power of hate.
Sacred Music and Healing Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 23; 4321 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park.
Here’s what else is happening across the wellness landscape in May.
Mindfulness with Christiane Wolf at the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Midweek is “Wellness Wednesdays” at the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City. The museum will host a free, hourlong, guided meditation — led by Christiane Wolf — in its Glorya Kaufman Community Center’s A-frame theater, a refurbished, century-old MGM prop house. Afterward, the Cantilever Collective will lead a free movement workshop in the sculpture garden, helping participants shake out any remaining remnants of stress. There will also be complimentary garden refreshments such as homemade soup and fresh bread from Clark Street Bakery. 9-11 a.m. every Wednesday in May; 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City.
Similarly, the Hammer Museum hosts free, guided Mindful Awareness Meditations every Thursday in its Billy Wilder Theater, a collaboration with UCLA Mindful. Can’t get away midday to attend? The museum broadcasts the event live on its website. 12:30-1 p.m. every Thursday in May; 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood.
Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation is hosting a week of free “golden hour” wellness experiences in dozens of L.A. County parks in a program it’s calling, not surprisingly, “Parks at Sunset.” Activities include yoga, guided meditation, painting and dance; they’re meant “to help attendees relax, recharge, and reconnect in the heart of L.A. County parks.” The best part? They’re all free “drop-in” happenings, with no registration required. 4:30-6:30 p.m. May 14-22; check the site for park addresses near you.
ace/121 Gallery, which is operated by the nonprofit Glendale Arts, will host a “Mindful Art for Wellness” workshop for participants over 16 years old. The instructor will start off by giving attendees a prompt to spark creativity along with stress-reducing breathing exercises. Then the art-making begins. No experience is necessary. Simply “slowing down is the point,” the organization says. 7-8:30 p.m. May 18; 121 N. Kenwood St., Glendale.
Clockshop is an arts and culture nonprofit that puts on free programming in public spaces with the goal of connecting Angelenos to the land they live on. Its annual kite festival is a much anticipated, colorful “gallery in the sky.” This year, the festival’s theme is: “Take a Breath.” That includes visitors’ own deep breaths to slow down and feel relaxed as well as “the wind that lifts our kites, the air that sustains us, and the open sky we’re committed to protecting,” Clockshop says. 2-6 p.m. May 9; Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., downtown L.A.
Los Angeles State Historic Park will be busy in May! The National Alliance on Mental Illness — NAMI — has dubbed May 16, 2026, “the day of hope.” As part of that, the annual NAMIWalks Greater LA County Mental Health Festival will take place that day at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The donation-only event, with free wellness activities, includes NAMIWalks, a roughly 1.5-mile walk on a path around the perimeter of the park. The fair will include about 60 booths as well as a “mind and body area” with soundbaths, yoga and other wellness activities. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. May 16; Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., downtown L.A.
Nearly 50 years ago the Venice Art Walk debuted as a one-day fundraiser. It’s since grown into a 10-day-long Art Exhibition + Auction benefiting the Venice Family Clinic. The VFC provides comprehensive healthcare services to more than 45,000 Angelenos. The free exhibition will showcase works by established, mid-career and emerging artists, with Alison Saar serving as the event’s signature artist. Auction bids will be accepted online. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 8-17; 910 Abbot Kinney in Venice.
A line in Mark Binelli’s fascinating piece in The New York Times Magazine about Michael Jackson’s estate-led rehabilitation campaign really jumped out at me. Referring to the early ’90s, the period in which the biopic “Michael” ends, Binelli writes, “It was also among the last moments that Jackson looked cool: the white V-neck and the unbuttoned white dress shirt, black pants, hair pulled back.”
What an astute observation. By this point in Jackson’s life, he had already given us his most iconic looks: the Sky Masterson-esque ivory pinstriped suit and cobalt blue socks in the “Smooth Criminal” video; the leather jacket from “Thriller,” as red as pulled taffy; and the black Florsheim loafers worn with sparkly socks, which he pulled out for his inaugural moonwalk in 1983.
In images of him from this time, he’s still just the musical magician who vanquished MTV. The allegations of child molestation that would dog him through his later life (and afterlife) haven’t yet appeared. It’s this period that fashion designers have long been selectively fixated on, with little room for his personal life.
In 2017, Supreme sold a series of hoodies and tees showing a bow-tied “Billie Jean”-era MJ. In January 2019, Louis Vuitton, then under the stewardship of Virgil Abloh, created an entire collection inspired by Jackson. Abloh, in an interview before the show, described Jackson as “the most important innovator in men’s wear history,” a plaudit that, even then, came off as too generous.
There were ensembles with characters from 1978’s “The Wiz” (including Jackson’s Scarecrow), a cherry zip jacket owing to “Thriller” and a T-shirt with an airbrushed rendition of some gleaming socks parked in black shoes.
Abloh’s timing was terrible. Eight days later, “Leaving Neverland,” about Jackson’s alleged pedophilia, premiered at Sundance. With the public reminded of the child molesting allegations that trailed the singer’s latter years, his reputation was again upended. After the documentary premiered on HBO in March, Louis Vuitton halted production on items that directly referenced Jackson.
What I had forgotten about this backlash was that it didn’t take hold immediately. Two months after the show, in a March 2019 New Yorker profile of Abloh (who died in 2021), the designer is asked about “Leaving Neverland” and the allegations that Jackson had molested two boys. He said he hadn’t heard of the documentary but that he had been inspired by “the Michael that I thought was universally accepted, the good side, his humanitarian self.” It would take four more days for Vuitton to nix the Jackson goods.
Yet one can see why Abloh might have thought his explanation would fly. Fashion has, after all, always been capable of pushing past a controversy, if the person’s image is indelible enough.
The photo of Jackson in his black loafers, as I’ve seen on infinite mood boards over the years — that’s strong iconography. And now the box office might of “Michael” seems like proof that the singer’s defenders have won in the court of public opinion, even with a new lawsuit against his estate filed by four siblings who knew Jackson as children.
The invitation to the Jackson-inspired Louis Vuitton show was a single white glove coated in chandelier-sparkly rhinestones. I still have mine in storage. It felt important to keep as a token of a luxury house trading on the image of a contentious figure. Today it is really the only existing piece of that collection that is actually tied to the singer. You can buy one on eBay for as much as $3,000.
Other things worth knowing about:
-
Connecticut3 minutes ago2 babies relinquished under CT safe haven law in April
-
Delaware9 minutes agoMassive crane tipped backwards at construction site in Delaware
-
Florida15 minutes agoTruck driver’s body found after he disappeared in Florida
-
Georgia21 minutes agoFour-star cornerback decommits from Georgia
-
Hawaii27 minutes agoYears-long closure of Waikiki bathroom ‘disappointing’ to many, some demand answers
-
Illinois39 minutes agoPark City, Illinois, police officer charged with sexual abuse
-
Indiana45 minutes agoSmokey Bones barbecue chain closes its Indiana store
-
Iowa51 minutes agoIowa gas prices jump 33 cents from last week, more than national average