Utah has added four books to its statewide ban list for public schools, increasing the total to 27 prohibited titles. The new additions include works by Jennifer Niven, Jessie Ann Foley, Margaret Atwood, and Elana K. Arnold. This follows the implementation of House Bill 29, which mandates removals based on challenges in multiple districts.
Utah's public schools now prohibit 27 books following the addition of four titles this week. The banned books are Breathless by Jennifer Niven, The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley, The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Renee Nault, and Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold. Notably, Red Hood is authored by Elana K. Arnold, a party in an ongoing lawsuit against the state.
The bans stem from House Bill 29, enacted in 2024 and effective from July 1, 2024. The legislation allows parents to challenge books classified as “sensitive material” and requires statewide removal if a title is deemed “objective sensitive material” or “pornographic” in at least three public school districts or two districts plus five charter schools. Initially, the list included 13 titles, some added retroactively for prior removals. Schools must notify the State Board of Education upon removing such books, triggering notifications for all districts to dispose of them if thresholds are met.
Of the 27 banned books, 21 were written by women. The full list encompasses titles like Blankets by Craig Thompson (2003), multiple works by Sarah J. Maas including A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015), and classics such as Forever by Judy Blume (1975) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999). Recent additions also include Bag of Bones by Stephen King (1998), the 23rd title added last month.
Only nine of Utah's 42 public school districts have driven these bans, with Davis School District involved in 26 and Washington in 25. Individual districts can remove books independently, potentially expanding the state list. The law does not affect private or homeschool institutions.
This development occurs amid a lawsuit filed last month by the Maya Angelou estate and others challenging the law's legality, when 22 books were already banned. Bans have accelerated since January, progressing to older titles as reviews continue backward from the law's start date. Similar measures exist elsewhere: South Carolina mandates removal of 21 titles, Tennessee has mechanisms but no list yet, and Florida has distributed an advisory list.
