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Utah Expands Book Bans: 22 Titles Now Restricted

1/10/2026

26 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Utah's schools expanded book bans by adding The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Nineteen Minutes.
Expansion follows a 2024 law allowing removal when multiple districts classify a book as 'objective sensitive materials'.
Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, has acknowledged the novel contains mature content.
He says he included it to differentiate Wicked from its family-friendly adaptations.
The total number of banned titles in Utah now stands at 22.

History

Historical Context

In 2024, Utah enacted a law allowing the removal of books labeled as 'objectively sensitive materials' from schools, reflecting a broader trend of censorship that gained momentum after the 1982 Supreme Court case Board of Education v. Pico. With 22 titles banned, including The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this law underscores ongoing debates about educational content and parental control in the U.S.

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Story summary

Utah's schools expanded book bans by adding The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Nineteen Minutes.
Expansion follows a 2024 law allowing removal when multiple districts classify a book as 'objective sensitive materials'.
Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, has acknowledged the novel contains mature content.
He says he included it to differentiate Wicked from its family-friendly adaptations.
The total number of banned titles in Utah now stands at 22.

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