Utah became the first state to ban books from every public school across the state with 13 titles now outlawed — including works by beloved author Judy Blume and newly popular writer Sarah J. Maas.
The books must be removed from shelves inside all public schools after officials determined they contain “objective sensitive material” — often involving descriptions of sexual activities — under a new state law that went into effect on July 1, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Under the law, books will be banned statewide if a minimum of three school districts — or two school districts and five charter schools — of the state’s 41 public school districts prohibit the titles in their jurisdictions.
All but one of the newly banished books were written by women, according to the list released by the Utah State Board of Education Friday.
The forbidden titles include all of the widely popular fantasy romance series “Court of Thorns and Roses” by Maas; “Forever” by Blume; “Oryx and Crake” by “Handmaid’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood; and the poet Rupi Kaur’s “Milk and Honey.”
The remaining books on the list are “What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana K. Arnold; “Tilt” and “Fallout” by Ellen Hopkins; and “Blankets” by Craig Thompson.
Book bans at schools have become increasingly common in conservative areas and red states but have been sharply criticized as censorship and infringing on residents’ freedoms.
“It is a dark day for the freedom to read in Utah,” said Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America.
“The state’s No-Read List will impose a dystopian censorship regime across public schools and, in many cases, will directly contravene local preferences.”
The outlawed books, once removed from schools, “shall be legally disposed of and may not be sold or distributed,” according to the legislation — which Meehan said was dangerously vague.
“To make matters worse, the implementation guidelines are vague and will undoubtedly result in dumpsters full of books that could otherwise be enjoyed by readers,” she said in a statement.
“While the final guidance stops short of calling for book burning, the effect is the same: a signal that some books are too dangerous, and that the state has the authority to prohibit them.”
More titles are expected to be added to the list as the school year begins.
