Utah
Utah to Schools: Dispose of These 13 Books
Utah has given schools statewide a list of 13 books deemed “pornographic or indecent” that must be “legally disposed of,” including Margaret Atwood’s Oryx & Crake and Judy Blume’s Forever. They have been banned under a new state law that requires books to be outlawed statewide if they are banned by at least three of the state’s 41 public school districts, or two districts and five charter schools, the Guardian reports.
- Schools and librarians have traditionally considered factors including literary and artistic value when deciding if a book should be allowed in schools, the New York Times notes, but the Utah law says school boards should put “protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography over other considerations.”
- The full list, which can be seen here, includes six books by fantasy author Sarah Maas. The graphic novel Blankets by Craig Thompson is the only book of the 13 with a male author.