‘Wicked’ added to Utah’s statewide school book ban list as total rises to 22

“Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire is among three new titles added Jan. 5 to Utah’s statewide list of books prohibited in public school libraries. Photo: TownLift // Randi Sidman-Moore

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Utah’s statewide list of books prohibited in public school libraries grew again Monday, Jan. 5, as three additional titles met the threshold for removal under a 2024 law that can turn a handful of district decisions into a statewide ban.

Newly added to the list are “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire; “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult; and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, bringing the statewide total to 22.

Utah’s statewide removals flow from H.B. 29, passed in 2024, which requires public schools to remove instructional materials deemed “objective sensitive material” once the same title is removed by at least three school districts (or two districts and five charter schools). The law ties “objective sensitive material” to definitions of pornographic or indecent material in the Utah code.

All three new titles were added after removals in the Davis, Tooele, and Washington County school districts.

Three high-profile novels, now removed statewide

Maguire’s “Wicked,” published in 1995, reimagines the world of “The Wizard of Oz” through the Wicked Witch’s perspective and later inspired the blockbuster Broadway musical and film adaptations. In a 2024 BBC Radio 4 interview, Maguire described his interest in exploring what people mean by “evil.”

Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” a 2007 bestseller centered on a school shooting and its aftermath, has also been a frequent target of challenges nationally. In an interview with The Associated Press about the broader wave of bans, Picoult said objections to her book focused on a single scene and argued the passage is “not porn.”

Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a coming-of-age novel told through letters, follows a 15-year-old as they navigate friendship, love, and mental health. In a commentary published by the National Coalition Against Censorship, Chbosky said the book has been challenged so often he has “lost track,” and he pointed to reader letters describing how the story helped them feel less alone.

What statewide removal does and doesn’t mean

Utah’s State Board of Education maintains a public “titles to be removed” resource, and its Library Media page shows the statewide list was last updated Jan. 5, 2026

However, the state’s public list does not disclose why each district removed a particular title.

The bans apply to school access, particularly school libraries and instructional use. And after a 2025 guidance shift reported by KUER, students may bring personal copies of titles on the statewide list (or borrow them from public libraries), though the books still cannot be used for class assignments.

The full list: 22 titles now removed statewide

The following titles are now on Utah’s statewide removal list:

• “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” — Gregory Maguire
• “Nineteen Minutes” — Jodi Picoult
• “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” — Stephen Chbosky
• “Water for Elephants” — Sara Gruen
• “Tilt” — Ellen Hopkins
• “Fallout” — Ellen Hopkins
• “Tricks” — Ellen Hopkins
• “Blankets” — Craig Thompson
• “A Court of Thorns and Roses” — Sarah J. Maas
• “A Court of Mist and Fury” — Sarah J. Maas
• “A Court of Wings and Ruin” — Sarah J. Maas
• “A Court of Frost and Starlight” — Sarah J. Maas
• “A Court of Silver Flames” — Sarah J. Maas
• “Empire of Storms” — Sarah J. Maas
• “Damsel” — Elana K. Arnold
• “Forever” — Judy Blume
• “Like a Love Story” — Abdi Nazemian
• “Living Dead Girl” — Elizabeth Scott
• “Milk and Honey” — Rupi Kaur
• “Oryx & Crake” — Margaret Atwood
• “What Girls Are Made Of” — Elana K. Arnold
• “Thirteen Reasons Why” — Jay Asher