Booksology John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” is the 28th state-sanctioned banned book in Utah. It is possible that this is a clerical error, looking for alaska was banned on the 12th instead of the 2nd, indicating the state’s inability to accurately keep records. This is the second time a book has quietly slipped onto the list.
Nine books have been banned in Utah starting January 1, 2026.
Utah passed one of the strictest public school book laws in 2024. House Bill 29 (HB 29) would allow parents to object to books they deem to be “confidential material” and would permanently ban books from all public schools in the state if the books are deemed “objectively confidential material” or “pornographic” by state law in at least three public school districts or two public school districts and five charter schools in the state. The bill went into effect on July 1, 2024 and started with 13 titles.
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The bill is retroactive, meaning the list includes titles that met state guidelines prior to the bill’s commencement date. Pursuant to HB 29, a public or charter school must notify the State Board of Education whenever it removes books that are considered “confidential material.” If the book meets the criteria for removal, all The school will be notified and expected to be disposed of.
Currently, 28 books are banned in Utah public schools. 21 of these works were written by women. Here is the list:
blanket Written by Craig Thompson (2003)
Courtyard of frost and starlight Written by Sarah J. Maas (2018)
Court of Fog and Fury Written by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
court of silver flame Written by Sarah J. Maas (2021)
Courtyard of thorns and roses Written by Sarah J. Maas (2015)
Wings and Ruined Courtyard Written by Sarah J. Maas (2017)
empire of storms Written by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
fall out Written by Ellen Hopkins (2010)
forever Written by Judy Blume (1975)
milk and honey Written by Rupi Kaur (2014)
Oryx and Quina Written by Margaret Atwood (2003)
tilt Written by Ellen Hopkins (2012)
what are girls made of Written by Elana K. Arnold (2017)
living dead girl Written by Elizabeth Scott (2008)
maiden Written by Elana K. Arnold (2018)
like a love story Written by Abdi Nazemian (2019)
trick Written by Ellen Hopkins (2009)
give water to elephant Written by Sarah Gruen (2006)
13 reasons Written by Jay Asher (2007)
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Written by Gregory Maguire (1995)
19 minutes Written by Jody Pickult (2007)
the perks of being a wallflower Written by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
bag of bones Written by Stephen King (1998)
I’m suffocated Written by Jennifer Niven (2020)
Carnival of Bray Written by Jessie Ann Foley (2014)
The Handmaid’s Tale: Graphic Novel Written by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Renee Nolt (2019)
red hood Written by Elana K. Arnold (2020)
In Search of Alaska by John Green (2005)
The average publication date of titles banned by Utah is 2010, which is 16 years ago. Many of the books that have been removed are titles that are believed to have been on the bookshelves of the people who were banned themselves when they were students. That they weren’t a problem speaks only of the manufactured panic over “inappropriate” books.
What’s important to understand about this law is that even though it claims to be about “local control,” schools in the state are forced to follow decisions made in other school districts. Utah has 42 public school districts, but only nine have book bans. Of those, Davis is included in 27 bans and Washington State is included in 26 bans. Nebo and Tours accounted for eight bans, while Alpine and Jordan school districts each accounted for seven. In other words, two School districts across the state account for the majority of bans..
Utah will likely add more books to this list as the school year progresses. Of course, despite the claims of the federal Department of Education, these books are not the only ones banned in states with book bans. Individual school districts can ban books they deem inappropriate. Of course, this will help add more titles to the state list. Because books only need to be removed in three school districts before they are removed everywhere.
Utah isn’t the only state with a book list like this. South Carolina also maintains an approved list of books that must be removed in all public school districts. The list includes 21 titles, making it the most censorious state when it comes to banning state-sanctioned books. There is also a pending lawsuit in the state, brought by the ACLU on behalf of the South Carolina School Library Association and three public school students under the age of 18.
Tennessee also has a legal mechanism to enact a statewide school library ban, but has not yet added any titles to the list. In that state, the Secretary of State is targeting public libraries instead. Florida officials also distributed a list of books the state deemed inappropriate and should be removed from school libraries, although the state has no law allowing the creation of state-sanctioned banned lists.
None of these laws apply to private or homeschool institutions. That’s intentional.
More books are expected to be added to the list in the coming weeks, as Utah is implementing book bans in waves. States are working backwards from the law’s implementation date, and as we see more books banned in the future, those books may continue to become older and older titles.
Clearly, the lawsuit filed against HB 29 will not stand in the way of the most important initiative in the state’s education system: removing books that have been on shelves for decades. In fact, the banning of books has been accelerating since January of this year.
