Utah has banned four additional books from all public schools, increasing the total number of prohibited titles to 32. The new additions, made late last week, include Life Is Funny by E.R. Frank, The Haters by Jesse Andrews, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins. This development follows the implementation of House Bill 29 in 2024.
Late last week, Utah added four titles to its statewide list of books that must be removed from every public school. The prohibited books now total 32, with the latest including Life Is Funny by E.R. Frank (2002), The Haters by Jesse Andrews (2016), The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970), and People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins (2018). Thirteen books have been added to the list since the start of 2026, surpassing the 14 banned in the law's first year, 2024. Utah maintains the highest number of state-sanctioned book bans in the nation. The bans stem from House Bill 29, enacted in 2024 and effective from July 1 that year. The legislation permits parents to challenge books classified as “sensitive material” and requires statewide removal if a title is deemed “objective sensitive material” or “pornographic” by at least three public school districts or two districts plus five charter schools. The law is retroactive, beginning with 13 titles, and mandates schools to notify the State Board of Education upon removal. Of the 32 banned books, 24 were written by women, with an average publication date of 2009. Bans originated from just nine of Utah's 42 public school districts, led by Davis School District with 31 and Washington School District with 29. Jordan School District contributed 12, and Tooele School District nine. The additions occur amid a lawsuit filed in February challenging the bans under HB 29. South Carolina maintains a similar list of 21 titles but has not added any since May 2025; a lawsuit there is also pending. The restrictions apply only to public schools, not private or homeschool institutions.
