Utah Bans Judy Blume and Sarah J. Maas Books Statewide

Books by notable authors including Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur, and Sarah J Maas are among the 13 titles that the state of Utah has ordered to be removed from all public school classrooms and libraries.

This action marks a historic first where an entire state has outlawed a specific list of books statewide, as stated by Jonathan Friedman of PEN America, who oversees the organization’s free expression programs.

The books on this list were banned under a new law that mandates all public school districts in Utah to remove books if they are banned in either three districts, or two school districts along with five charter schools. Utah comprises a total of 41 public school districts.

The 13 books are subject to House Bill 29, effective from July 1, for being considered to contain “pornographic or indecent” material. According to PEN America, this list will likely be updated as more books meet the law’s criteria.

Twelve of these 13 titles were penned by women. The list includes six books by fantasy author Sarah J Maas, Margaret Atwood’s “Oryx and Crake,” Rupi Kaur’s “Milk and Honey,” and Judy Blume’s “Forever.” Other authors on the list include Ellen Hopkins with two titles, Elana K Arnold’s “What Girls Are Made Of,” and Craig Thompson’s “Blankets.”

Implementation guidelines stipulate that banned materials must be “legally disposed of” and “may not be sold or distributed.” Kasey Meehan, the director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, remarked that such vague guidelines would “undoubtedly result in dumpsters full of books that could otherwise be enjoyed by readers.” Although the guidelines don’t call for book burning, Meehan noted that the effect is essentially the same, signaling that some books are deemed too dangerous.

A coalition named Let Utah Read, which includes organizations, librarians, teachers, and parents, has launched a petition to “fix the ‘sensitive materials’ law.”

“It is a dark day for the freedom to read in Utah,” said Meehan. The list of banned books will effectively impose “a dystopian censorship regime across public schools” and, in many cases, directly oppose local preferences. Meehan argued that allowing just a few districts to make decisions for the entire state is anti-democratic.

The impact of this decision remains to be seen as concerned groups mobilize to challenge the law, and the ongoing debate over what constitutes appropriate material in school settings continues.

Source: various sources