(NEW YORK)— PEN America released the comment below in response to news that Utah added a 19th book to its list of books that are banned in every school in the state, putting the young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why on the “no read list.”
“Students are not being protected by this ‘no read list’,” said Madison Markham, Freedom to Read program coordinator at PEN America. “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 HB 29, the law that advocates warned would erode local control over school. That is exactly what seems to be happening as only a few districts out of more than 40 are responsible for the bans on books statewide.”
Thirteen Reasons Why, a 2007 bestselling young adult novel by Jay Asher that was made into a Netflix series, was added to the statewide Utah banned list after the book was banned in three school districts in compliance with state law, HB29.
In addition to Utah, South Carolina also keeps a list of books to be removed in every public school district with a state review board making the final decision. Now with 21 titles on the list of books banned statewide, S.C. has become the most censorious state when it comes to state-sanctioned book bans. Tennessee has legal mechanisms for statewide school book bans, though no titles have been added yet.
Read more about the statewide banned books in Utah.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057