Utah removes 19th book from school libraries statewide

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Board of Education last week removed the 19th book from school libraries across the state when "Thirteen Reasons Why" was pulled from Nebo, Tooele and Washington County school districts, triggering its statewide removal.

HB29, passed during the 2024 legislative session, stipulates the removal of books from libraries statewide if at least three school districts or two school districts and five charter schools determine that a book contains "objective sensitive material" — pornographic or otherwise indecent content, as defined by Utah code.

Utah's database of removed books shows the title was available for grades seven through 12.

Sharon Turner, the board of education's director of public affairs, said "Thirteen Reasons Why" was removed due to having "one or more pages that contained a description or depiction of fondling or other erotic touching of the genitals or pubic region."

"Thirteen Reasons Why" was published in 2007 and written by Jay Asher. The book was a New York Times bestseller for a combined 228 weeks, won a California Book Award Silver Medal in 2008, the South Carolina Young Adult Book Award in 2010 and was also selected as one of the American Library Association's "Best Books for Young Adults" in 2008.

In 2017, Netflix adapted the book into a show that ran for four seasons, until June 2020. The adaptation led to the title being the most challenged book in 2017.

According to Banned Books Week, the book's depiction of suicide was the primary reason for a bulk of the challenges, alongside drug and alcohol use and sexual content.

PEN America — a nonprofit with a goal of promoting and defending free expression rights in the U.S. and around the world and a common critic of Utah and other states' book removal policies — denounced the book's removal, saying doing so doesn't protect students.

"They are instead being deprived of books that could help them understand their lives and the world around them. By adding a 19th book to the list, Utah is in a race to the bottom following the implementation of HB29, the law that advocates warned would erode local control over school," Madison Markham, Freedom to Read program coordinator at PEN America, said in a statement.

The "race to the bottom" Markham mentioned is regarding which state has removed the most books from school libraries statewide. With 19, the Beehive State is two books away from South Carolina, which has 21 titles on the list of books removed by its statewide mandate.

Here's a complete list of books removed from all school libraries in Utah:

1. "A Court of Thorns and Roses" (Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
2. "A Court Of Mist and Fury" (Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
3. "A Court Of Wings and Ruin" (Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas
4. "A Court of Frost and Starlight" (Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas
5. "A Court Of Silver Flames" (Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas
6. "What Girls Are Made Of" by Elana K. Arnold
7. "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur
8. "Forever" by Judy Blume
9. "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins
10. "Fallout" by Ellen Hopkins
11. "Oryx and Crake" by Ellen Hopkins
12. "Blankets" by Craig Thompson
13. "Empire of Storms" by Sarah J. Maas
14. "Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott
15. "Damsel" by Elana K. Arnold
16. "Like a Love Story" by Abdi Nazemian
17. "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins
18. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
19. "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

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