In-Person: This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed Book Launch

We are thrilled to host Samira Ahmed to celebrate the release of This Book Won't Burn! For this event, Samira will be joined in conversation by Erika L. Sánchez. This event will also serve as a fundraiser for and will include a food pop-up by ! Attendees are encouraged to donate to We Need Diverse Books with their registration. Additionally, Women & Children First will be donating 10% of profits from all preorders and event-related sales for THIS BOOK WON'T BURN. Ordering instructions for Maa Maa Dei coming soon! More about We Need Diverse and Maa Maa Dei below.

Please note: This event is free to attend, but registration is required! By registering, you agree to wear a mask during the main portion of the event, per W&CF's Covid-19 guidelines. We ask that attendees who purchase delicious treats from Maa Maa Dei enjoy them during the book-signing portion of the event to allow for un-masked social distancing.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Internment comes a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe.

After her dad abruptly abandons her family and her mom moves them a million miles from their Chicago home, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school, away from everything and everyone she knows and loves.

Reeling from being uprooted and deserted, Noor is certain the key to survival is to keep her head down and make it to graduation.

But things aren’t so simple. At school, Noor discovers hundreds of books have been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic” and are being removed from the library in accordance with a new school board policy. Even worse, virtually all the banned books are by queer and BIPOC authors.

Noor can’t sit back and do nothing, because that goes against everything she believes in, but challenging the status quo just might put a target on her back. Can she effect change by speaking up? Or will small-town politics—and small-town love—be her downfall?

BUY THE BOOK!

Samira Ahmed is the New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate, & Other Filters and Internment. She was born in Bombay, India, and has lived in New York, Chicago, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango. She invites you to visit her online at samiraahmed.com and on Twitter and Instagram @sam_aye_ahm.

Erika L. Sánchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her debut poetry collection, , was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughterwas a #1 New York Times bestseller, a National Book Awards finalist, and Tomás Rivera Award winner. Time has recognized it as one of the best YA novels of all time. It is now is being made into a MGM Orion film directed by America Ferrera. She is an executive producer in the project. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter has also been adapted to the theater at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Seattle Rep Theater, and Greenway Court Theater in Los Angeles. Also, her novel has been banned across the country for utterly illogical reasons. Most recently, Sánchez published a critically acclaimed memoir-in-essays titled Crying in the Bathroom with Viking Books. It won the Chicago Review of Books Nonfiction award and has been optioned for television. Sánchez was a Fulbright Scholar, a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent fellow from the Poetry Foundation, a Princeton Arts Fellow, a recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry. Her books have been translated and published in Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Mexico, Poland, and Italy. She’s appeared on WGN, PBS, NPR, Good Morning America, Telemundo, Univision, and MSNBC. She lives in Chicago with her family.

We Need Diverse Books is revolutionizing what we read. At WNDB, we believe in the transformative power of diverse literature to teach compassion, combat prejudice, and even save lives. We enact change across every step of the publishing process, from the creation of a story to the hands of readers everywhere. We help diverse creators tell their stories via our mentorships, workshops, and grants. WNDB publishes books filled with inclusive voices, and we also help diverse college students start their careers in publishing. We donate diverse books to readers nationwide. Many of the titles we give away were written by the creators we’ve supported, making our work come full circle.
Maa Maa Dei is a pop-up food endeavor by Jaye Fong that continues to push the boundaries of what is new but nostalgic, modern but traditional. Sweet and savory treats that seek to capture the experience of growing up as an Asian-American restaurant kid in the Midwest. Ordering instructions coming soon!

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Note: There will be food at this event and we ask attendees to keep their masks on when not eating or drinking, as well as to refrain from eating until the speaking portion of the event has concluded and we are able to more effectively spread out. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email [email protected] by no later than 14 days before the event. For other questions or access needs, please email [email protected].

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark Street, Chicago, United States