Book bans are nothing new. Throughout history, certain books have come under fire for content deemed inappropriate or controversial — often, that content is by and about people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups. As censorship of discussions about race, gender identity, and sexual orientation continues happening in public forums and schools, books on the same topics are being targeted in public schools and libraries right here in Utah.
Utah has been banning books from public school libraries for years. But the passage of two laws prompted the ACLU of Utah to file a federal lawsuit to protect the right to read.
When the Utah Legislature passed HB 374, the “Sensitive Materials in Schools Act,” in 2022, it prohibited books containing “pornographic or indecent content” from K–12 public school libraries and classrooms. Subsequently, book bans in schools across Utah jumped from 12 in the 2021–2022 school year to 281 the following year. The titles targeted were overwhelmingly those written by and about Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people.
Then in 2024, the Legislature went further. HB 29 built on the HB 374 framework and created a sweeping new mechanism: if three school districts ban a book for containing “objectively sensitive material,” a statewide removal from every K-12 public school library in Utah is automatically triggered. Now, the decision of less than 10% of Utah’s districts and charters dictates what all Utah students may check out from a school library. HB 29 took effect on July 1, 2024, retroactively banning 13 books statewide. At the time of writing, 36 titles have been banned statewide from every public school in Utah, making Utah the national leader in statewide book bans. On January 6, 2026, the ACLU of Utah filed Vonnegut v. Utah in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah arguing that HB 29’s statewide ban provisions are unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment—that by stripping books from shelves based solely on the presence of any sexual reference, without any consideration of literary value, context, or the age of the reader, Utah is censoring protected speech and silencing both students and authors. The defendants include the Utah State Board of Education, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, and three school districts. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the statewide ban provisions of HB 29 facially unconstitutional and to order every removed book immediately returned to school shelves.
The freedom to read is a First Amendment right, not a privilege. As long as HB 29 continues to operate, pulling celebrated works of literature from students’ hands without regard for their value or their voices, we will be in court fighting to stop it. This fight is far from over, and we are fully committed to upholding the right to learn and the freedom to read for all Utahns.
ACLU of Utah Banned Book Club Reading List:
This year, we want Utahns to be prepared to protect their right to learn. One way to do that is by reading the books facing bans or challenges on our ACLU of Utah Banned Books Club Reading List. Read about the books below.
NOTE: The following list includes books that have been formally removed or were recently challenged for removal from public schools or libraries.
- What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
- Forever… by Judy Blume
- Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
- Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
- Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
- 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
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
- Like A Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
- Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
- Bag of Bones by Stephen King
- Breathless by Jennifer Niven
- The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
- The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Renee Nault
- Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Life Is Funny by E.R. Frank
- The Haters by Jesse Andrews
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins
- A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
- A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
- Lucky by Alice Sebold
- Different Seasons by Stephen King
- PUSH by Sapphire
Join the Let Utah Read Coalition in protecting the right to read for ourselves, our children, and future generations.
Download Let Utah Read Bookmarks
Enjoy a new bookmark while reading one of the books on the ACLU of Utah’s Banned Books Club Reading List.
