This Tale of a Chicago School Book Ban Was Inspired by True Events
Chicago Public Schools abruptly removed Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir Persepolis from several classrooms in 2013, sparking student-led protests. Librarian Jarrett Dapier’s debut graphic novel Wake Now in the Fire fictionalizes those events, following high‑schoolers at Lane Tech as they document the ban and organize walk‑outs. After months of activism, CPS permitted the book in grades eight through ten, requiring teacher training, while keeping it barred for younger classes. The story underscores a growing wave of book‑censorship battles across U.S. schools.
'My Family Is Enough': Jamilah Lemieux on Being a 'Black. Single. Mother.'
Jamilah Lemieux’s new book, Black. Single. Mother., blends her own experience with the testimonies of 21 Black single mothers to trace the deep‑rooted stigma surrounding Black single‑parent families. The work revisits the 1965 Moynihan report and the "welfare queen" narrative...
This Historian Dug up the Hidden History of 'Amateur' Blackface in America
Historian Rhae Lynn Barnes uncovered a concealed trove of blackface material after a Library of Congress librarian admitted hiding books for fear of KKK misuse. Her new book, Darkology, reveals how amateur minstrel shows proliferated in the 19th‑century United States, even receiving...
Mundane, Magic, Maybe Both — a New Book Explores 'The Writer's Room'
Katie da Cunha Lewin’s new book, *The Writer’s Room*, investigates the fascination with writers’ personal spaces, from Lucille Clifton’s Baltimore home to Virginia Woolf’s Monk’s House. By touring preserved rooms and interviewing authors, Lewin reveals that the allure often masks a myth:...
This Novel About Family Drama Is so Good You May Want to Re-Read It Immediately
Allegra Goodman’s latest novel, *This Is Not About Us*, returns to the multi‑generational family saga format she first explored in *The Family Markowitz*. The book is structured as 17 linked stories that trace three generations of a Jewish family, using...
Years Ago, Novelist Tayari Jones Snuck Into a Writing Class. It Changed Her Life
Novelist Tayari Jones recounts how sneaking into a first‑year creative‑writing class at Spelman College launched her writing career. Guided by instructor Pearl Cleage, she gained her first audience and the confidence to call herself a writer. Jones later achieved national fame...
History of Mixed-Race Children Orphaned in Germany After WWII Inspires New Novel by Sadeqa Johnson
Sadeqa Johnson’s debut novel, *The Keeper of Lost Children*, dramatizes the largely unknown saga of mixed‑race children left in German orphanages after World War II. The story emerged from Johnson’s deep dive into archival records and survivor interviews that reveal thousands...