SALT LAKE CITY — The complete list of books banned at all public schools in the state of Utah was released Friday, with thirteen titles included and will no longer be available in school libraries.
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It is the first time an official list has been created and ordered to be followed by the Utah State Board of Education.
The titles are being removed under the guidelines of a Utah law which says a book would be banned if at least three local school districts, or at least two school districts and five charter schools, claimed its content contained "objective sensitive material."
Below are the books that are now banned from Utah public schools:
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
- “A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas
- “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas
- “What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana K. Arnold
- “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
- “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
- “Forever” by Judy Blume
- “Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins
- “Fallout (Crank, Book 3” by Ellen Hopkins
- “Oryx & Crake” by Margaret Atwood
- "Blankets” by Craig Thompson
- “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas
FOX 13 News spoke with one of the authors, Elana K. Arnold, about her book "What Girls Are Made Of".
"It's a national book award finalist and a winner of other prizes," said Arnold. "It is a work of literary fiction about a girl who is sorting through the idea of what it means to be worth love and, and when love is conditional."
Arnold says she wasn't surprised to hear that her book, which was published back in 2017, made the list.
"I have 16 titles that have been banned or removed from various collections, this is one of the most frequent," she said.
Corinne Johnson is the President of Utah Parents United, a parent advocacy group.
"This is a big win because now I can send my kid, you can send your child to school and know that these 13 titles which went through a very rigorous process are no longer available to kids in that school," said Johnson.
During the 2022 legislative session, Johnson says her group sponsored a piece of legislation with Rep. Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan) that ensured that the definition of illegal pornographic materials was applied to materials in the school libraries, not just materials that people would bring into the school.
"And then, in 2024, this past session, we worked with Representative Ivory to sponsor another piece of legislation that would ensure that those books that met the definition will be removed statewide," said Johnson. "The legislature determined this standard and this threshold that is three school districts determined that it violated the law that it could be removed statewide."
However, some Utah legislators have concerns.
"I'm really disappointed in the fact that there are a few school districts that are making the decision for all school districts in the state of Utah," said House Minority Leader Angela Romero (D-Salt Lake City).
Romero believes banning books sets a dangerous precedent and is a slippery slope.
"There are people that are elected to a local school board, there are people that are experts in education that are hired to run our school districts and I feel like we're telling them, we'll tell you how to do your job," she said.
The Davis School District and Washington County School district removed all 13 books on the list.
According to the USBE, within 30 days of notification of a statewide removal, a state board member may request the material be placed on an agenda in the full board meeting. A vote to potentially overturn the statewide removal would be conducted.
Utah School districts and charter schools that own these books are required to dispose of them.
