Stephen King works classified as “pornography” in Utah

[drumdude]

Stephen King is a good author — though not particularly to my taste (although I quite liked — and almost immediately lost — a book of his on the craft of writing that I bought several years ago during an autumn cruise along the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada) — and, obviously, a very successful one. But he doesn’t always strike me as a careful thinker.

In this story, for example, he claims that one of his books has been “banned in Utah.” But, of course, it hasn’t. If you want to buy it through an Utah bookstore, you still can. And it’s probably still available in many if not most public libraries in the state.

What I take from the story is that the book is no longer on the approved list of books for purchase by public school libraries in the state and probably, too, that it won’t feature on reading lists for the public school curriculum.

But it was probably never part of the public school curriculum in the first place. The vast majority of books, even the vast majority of universally acclaimed classics, aren’t part of the curriculum. There simply isn’t time to include all of the books that it would be good to include; choices must inevitably be made.

And the same is true, mutatis mutandis, for public school libraries. They can’t include all books. They are relatively small, and choices must be made. Many, many worthwhile and valuable books won’t be sitting on the library shelves of public elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools. Even large university libraries with collections of hundreds of thousands or even millions of books don’t include all books and journals. They can’t. It’s physically and financially impossible that it be otherwise. And even the largest such libraries will have areas of strength and, unfortunately, areas of weakness. Decisions must inevitably be made.

I can understand that an author might take umbrage at his book being omitted from lists of books to be purchased across the public school libraries of an entire state, and that he would be disappointed. But it’s nonsense to speak of this as a statewide ban, which it clearly isn’t. Nor, really, is it censorship. Yes, some books will be approved for purchase and some won’t. But that is perfectly unavoidable. It cannot be otherwise. If I can buy only one burger and I choose a double cheese burger, that isn’t a crime against bacon mushroom burgers. If I have money for only one book and I choose to purchase Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea rather than H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds, I’m neither banning Wells nor censoring him.

If you were to take Daniel Peterson at his word, then you’d think Steven King was simply upset that his book wasn’t being purchased by libraries. When in point of fact it has been added to the official state banned book list.

On July 6, Stephen King's novella collection, "Different Seasons," joined Utah’s official banned book list for its “objective sensitive material.” King posted his shock and frustration over the ban on X on July 14, 2026.

Each statewide book ban in Utah is currently the result of amendments made to the “Sensitive Materials in Schools” Act in 2024. Rep. Ken Ivory, R-Salt Lake, and Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Davis, Salt Lake, sponsored HB29. Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah signed the bill into law on March 18, 2024.

According to this law, “A public school or an LEA may not: adopt, use, distribute, provide access to, or maintain in the school setting … or permit a speaker or presenter in the school setting to display or distribute sensitive materials.”

In an attempt to protect students from illicit pornography, the bill classifies flagged content as objective or subjective sensitive material. Both young adult and adult novels are on the ban list, featuring themes surrounding sexual activity, abuse, substance use and profanity.

https://universe.BYU.edu/metro/stephen- ... s-book-ban

We’re lucky that at least someone at BYU.edu still thinks a bit more deeply than DP…

The growing list of banned books is available here:

https://utahban.com/

Utah’s active statewide school book removal framework is House Bill 29. Under this law, when three school districts, or two districts plus five charter schools, classify a title as objective sensitive material, the Utah State Board of Education must place that title on a statewide removal list. That means determinations made by a small share of local systems can trigger mandatory removal across every public school in the state.

[Marcus]

...Even large university libraries with collections of hundreds of thousands or even millions of books don’t include all books and journals. They can’t. It’s physically and financially impossible that it be otherwise. And even the largest such libraries will have areas of strength and, unfortunately, areas of weakness. Decisions must inevitably be made...

This is a side issue, but DCP is doing nothing more than showing his ignorance in this rant. Libraries are no longer limited by physical constraint as virtually all offer electronic access as well as physical access to writings.

[drumdude]

...Even large university libraries with collections of hundreds of thousands or even millions of books don’t include all books and journals. They can’t. It’s physically and financially impossible that it be otherwise. And even the largest such libraries will have areas of strength and, unfortunately, areas of weakness. Decisions must inevitably be made...

This is a side issue, but DCP is doing nothing more than showing his ignorance in this rant. Libraries are no longer limited by physical constraint as virtually all offer electronic access as well as physical access to writings.

Excellent point, Marcus. Deeply thought, even.

[Tom]

I must confess that I am perplexed by the Proprietor’s post.“If I can buy only one burger and I choose a double cheese burger, that isn’t a crime against bacon mushroom burgers.” Is he being serious here? I recommend that he actually read the law in question. It might save him from offering additional misinformed comments on it.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

1. What Girls Are Made Of — Elana K. Arnold
2. Oryx and Crake — Margaret Atwood
3. Forever… — Judy Blume
4. Tilt — Ellen Hopkins
5. Fallout — Ellen Hopkins
6. Milk and Honey — Rupi Kaur
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas
8. A Court of Frost and Starlight — Sarah J. Maas
9. A Court of Mist and Fury — Sarah J. Maas
10. A Court of Silver Flames — Sarah J. Maas
11. A Court of Wings and Ruin — Sarah J. Maas
12. Empire of Storms — Sarah J. Maas
13. Blankets — Craig Thompson
14. Damsel — Elana K. Arnold
15. Like a Love Story — Abdi Nazemian
16. Tricks — Ellen Hopkins
17. Water for Elephants — Sara Gruen
18. Thirteen Reasons Why — Jay Asher
19. Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West — Gregory Maguire
20. Nineteen Minutes — Jodi Picoult
21. The Perks of Being a Wallflower — Stephen Chbosky
22. Living Dead Girl — Elizabeth Scott
23. Bag of Bones — Stephen King
24. Breathless — Jennifer Niven
25. The Carnival at Bray — Jessie Ann Foley
26. The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel — Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Renée Nault
27. Red Hood — Elana K. Arnold
28. Looking for Alaska — John Green
29. Life Is Funny — E.R. Frank
30. The Haters — Jesse Andrews
31. The Bluest Eye — Toni Morrison
32. People Kill People — Ellen Hopkins
33. A Stolen Life: A Memoir — Jaycee Dugard
34. A Clash of Kings — George R.R. Martin
35. Lucky — Alice Sebold
36. Different Seasons — Stephen King

Why just Clash of Kings? This list is just arbitrary and random.

[I Have Questions]

It’s clear that the author of the Deseret News article that Peterson takes as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, didn’t bother to do any fact checking. Unlike the BYU commentator. Lazy journalism by Jennifer Graham, which lazy Peterson gobbles down whole.

[sock puppet]

1. What Girls Are Made Of — Elana K. Arnold
2. Oryx and Crake — Margaret Atwood
3. Forever… — Judy Blume
* * *
36. Different Seasons — Stephen King

Why just Clash of Kings? This list is just arbitrary and random.

Different Seasons??? How many of those on the book banning decision board have watched the movie Shawshank Redemption (and liked it)? Or Stand By Me? Both were sourced from two of the four 'seasonal' stories included in this volume. A third one is the Apt Pupil about an American teen discovering his San Diego area neighbor is an old Nazi operative hiding out, and uses it as leverage to blackmail the old Nazi into assisting the teen kill people and bury their bodies in the basement of the Nazis house. The fourth, the Breathing Method, is bio fantasy--a pregnant woman gives birth despite being decapitated in a car accident.

Very bad stuff for school kids to read.

All the while Songs of Solomon and Revelations slip by, as they are in the Holy Bible. Go figure.

[drumdude]

1. What Girls Are Made Of — Elana K. Arnold
2. Oryx and Crake — Margaret Atwood
3. Forever… — Judy Blume
* * *
36. Different Seasons — Stephen King

Why just Clash of Kings? This list is just arbitrary and random.

Different Seasons??? How many of those on the book banning decision board have watched the movie Shawshank Redemption (and liked it)? Or Stand By Me? Both were sourced from two of the four 'seasonal' stories included in this volume. A third one is the Apt Pupil about an American teen discovering his San Diego area neighbor is an old Nazi operative hiding out, and uses it as leverage to blackmail the old Nazi into assisting the teen kill people and bury their bodies in the basement of the Nazis house. The fourth, the Breathing Method, is bio fantasy--a pregnant woman gives birth despite being decapitated in a car accident.

Very bad stuff for school kids to read.

All the while Songs of Solomon and Revelations slip by, as they are in the Holy Bible. Go figure.

I wonder if The Afore will read the full story of Sodom and Gomorrah to his grandchildren. It’s a real family favorite. And it’s right there in the good old Quad.

[sock puppet]

Different Seasons??? How many of those on the book banning decision board have watched the movie Shawshank Redemption (and liked it)? Or Stand By Me? Both were sourced from two of the four 'seasonal' stories included in this volume. A third one is the Apt Pupil about an American teen discovering his San Diego area neighbor is an old Nazi operative hiding out, and uses it as leverage to blackmail the old Nazi into assisting the teen kill people and bury their bodies in the basement of the Nazis house. The fourth, the Breathing Method, is bio fantasy--a pregnant woman gives birth despite being decapitated in a car accident.

Very bad stuff for school kids to read.

All the while Songs of Solomon and Revelations slip by, as they are in the Holy Bible. Go figure.

I wonder if The Afore will read the full story of Sodom and Gomorrah to his grandchildren. It’s a real family favorite. And it’s right there in the good old Quad.

It would be so interesting to hear him explain Sodomy to his grandkids. Ha ha ha.