Utah bans 13 books in public schools statewide, including Judy Blume and Margaret Atwood titles

PEN America says it is the first statewide book ban in schools.

ByKiara Alfonseca

Friday, August 9, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Utah placed a blanket ban on at least 13 books in schools, including works by Sarah J. Maas, Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur, Margaret Atwood and other authors, in what free speech advocates say is the first state book ban, ABC News reported.

The Utah State Board of Education put together a list of titles that have met the statewide threshold for removal based on a newly enforced law.

H.B. 29, signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in March, requires all schools to remove a book if school officials from at least three school districts or at least two school districts and five charter schools have determined that a book constitutes "objective sensitive material."

"Objective sensitive material" is defined under the law as an instructional material that constitutes pornographic or indecent material, which is further defined in Utah law as depicting or describing sex or nudity while also lacking "serious value" for minors.

This first set of removed material - that state officials say will be updated in accordance with further book restrictions - includes "Forever" by Judy Blume, a coming-of-age book that touches on sexuality; "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood, a post-apocalyptic novel, and "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur, a poetry book about "violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity."

"The Board is committed to following the law and the list will be updated if and when needed," a spokesperson for the state Board of Education said in a statement to ABC News.

Several groups have spoken out against the banning of these books, including PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech, and Let Utah Read, a coalition of Utah residents, educators, librarians and others.

"Allowing just a handful of districts to make decisions for the whole state is antidemocratic, and we are concerned that implementation of the law will result in less diverse library shelves for all Utahns," said Kasey Meehan, a program director for PEN America's Freedom to Read initiative.

Advocacy groups say they fear this is just the start of "statewide book purges."

"Unlike some legislators who are out to make political hay and use national culture war issues to divide us, Utahns understand that great American authors like Judy Blume, Sherman Alexie, and Toni Morrison are not pornographers, and no one should be criminally charged for selling, giving, or lending a book to a high school student," Let Utah Read said in a statement, referencing other authors who have faced bans in schools across the country.

See the full list of banned books below: