Lifestyle

This tale of a Chicago school book ban was inspired by true events

Published

1 month ago

March 12, 2026

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.

The school district removed Junot Díaz’s novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao from the curriculum of a high-level English class at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., in response to a mental health crisis.

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

Advertisement

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.

A look at the tumultuous life of 'Persepolis' as it turns 20

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.

For Lois Lowry, 'Brooklyn' Was Raw And Real

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.

Lifestyle

Sunday Puzzle: Sweet Treat

Published

3 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Sunday Puzzle

NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

NPR

This week’s challenge

Every answer today is a flavor of ice cream or sorbet.
What flavor of ice cream …

1. … has a two-word name in which each word starts CH-?

2. … has a two-word name in which each word starts RO-?

3. … is hidden in this sentence: That’s the caravan I’ll announce.

4. … has the string of letters UTTI in its name twice?

5. … has a silent P as its fourth letter?

6. … would spell some men’s facial hair if you changed its first two letters from PI to MU?

7. … consists of the names of two trees starting with M and W?

8. … is a fruit flavor that would become the name of another fruit flavor if you interchanged its first and third letters?

9. … is an anagram of TEENAGER (2 wds.)?

Last week’s challenge

Last week’s challenge came from Michael Schwartz, of Florence, Ore. Think of a musical instrument. Add two letters at the end, and you’ll get the names of two popular automobile models reading left or right. What musical instrument is this?

Answer

Accordion –> (Honda) Accord + (Hyundai) Ioniq

Winner

Nell Newton of Austin, Texas

This week’s challenge

This week’s challenge comes from Benita Rice, of Salem, Ore. Name a famous foreign landmark (5,4). Change the eighth letter to a V and rearrange the result to make an adjective that describes this landmark. What landmark is it?

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, April 16 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.

Lifestyle

Ask Imran Anything: On Boring Fashion, the Meaning of Luxury and Building Outside the System

Published

4 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Ask Imran Anything: On Boring Fashion, the Meaning of Luxury and Building Outside the System

In the second instalment of the BoF Podcast’s Ask Me Anything series, Imran Amed takes on listener questions about creative energy returning to the industry, what luxury really feels like, why independent brands don’t need the old gatekeepers, and how to keep going when the world feels uncertain.

Lifestyle

Trump touts newly released plans for D.C. triumphal arch

Published

15 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Trump touts newly released plans for D.C. triumphal arch

Artist renderings and diagrams for President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch released by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on April 10, 2026.

Jon Elswick/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Jon Elswick/AP

President Trump on Friday unveiled official architectural renderings for the triumphal arch he plans to add to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The proposed monument would stand at one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge next to the Arlington National Cemetery.

In addition to the president’s post on Truth Social, the plans were released by the Commission on Fine Arts, a federal agency that has review authority over the design and aesthetics of construction within Washington, D.C., and produced by Harrison Design, an architecture, interior and landscape design firm with offices in six U.S. cities, including D.C. The mockup shows a structure very similar to the 3D model that Trump touted at a fundraising dinner at the White House last October.

This model of President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch was shown at a White House press conference on Oct. 15, 2025.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

At 250 feet tall, the overall height of the structure is intended to serve as, “a fitting recognition of America’s 250th birthday,” the White House said in an email to NPR.

A monument aimed at honoring what and whom?

The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris — though would stand almost 100 feet taller — and is topped with two golden eagles and a winged, crowned figure reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty (which was gifted to the U.S. by France in 1884.) On one side, the words “One nation under God” appear, with the phrase “Liberty and justice for all” on the other.

The structure would also loom over the nearby Lincoln Memorial — at more than twice the height.

“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle in an email to NPR. “It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves.”

When asked by CBS political correspondent Ed O’Keefe whom the monument was intended to honor after Trump initially unveiled his plans in October, Trump responded: “Me.” The exchange was captured in a social media video.

A group of Vietnam War veterans launched a lawsuit in February seeking to bar the Trump administration from constructing the arch. The plaintiffs argued the project violates statutes requiring express congressional authorization for the erection of commemorative works or any “building or structure” on federal park grounds in D.C., among other issues.

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the city’s Christmas celebrations (2007).

Christophe Ena/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Christophe Ena/AP

“It’s textbook Trump,” said Sue Mobley, director of research at Monument Lab, of the proposed plans for the arch, in an interview with NPR. The nonprofit design studio based in Philadelphia reimagines public art and structures. “It has to be the biggest. That’s the authoritarian impulse.” Trump has repeatedly pushed back on accusations of authoritarianism, rejecting the label of dictator.

Mobley added that she doesn’t think the plans will come to fruition. “It will likely get tied up in court,” she said.

Approval process

The White House said it will “follow all legal requirements” in constructing the triumphal arch. As part of that process, it mentioned the National Park Service’s recent request to present potential designs to the Commission on Fine Arts. The plans are scheduled to be reviewed next week. At this point, that commission is composed entirely of members appointed by Trump. (In October 2025, Trump took the unusual step of firing six sitting members of the commission.) The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal government’s central planning agency for the National Capital Region, is also expected to weigh in on the plans.

The White House said the estimated cost of the project, which it anticipates will draw on a combination of public and private funds, is still being calculated. Harrison Design, the architecture firm behind the plans, did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for information about the price tag.

Multiple D.C. makeover projects

The arch plans are the latest in a series of current and potential architectural interventions from the White House in and around Washington, D.C.

Most dramatically, the administration is pushing for the creation of a $400 million neoclassical ballroom at the White House. A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily allowed the construction of the ballroom to move forward while the administration challenges a March ruling that it required congressional approval. Whatever the outcome, the historic East Wing has already been demolished to make room for the new structure.

Trump has converted the White House Rose Garden into a stone-covered patio. He aims to shut down The Kennedy Center for two years to facilitate a major renovation (a coalition of groups including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, and the D.C. Preservation League, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March opposing the plans.) And he has proposed architectural changes to the Washington Dulles International airport through an initiative the Department of Transportation launched late last year to overhaul the Northern Virginia airport. Several prominent architecture firms including Zaha Hadid Architects and Adjaye Associates have submitted proposals.

In August, the president also signed an executive order requiring that new federal buildings with construction budgets of more than $50 million be designed in “classical” or “traditional” styles.

Anastasia Tsioulcas contributed to this story.