Utah public schools have permanently banned Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, placing it on the state's list of banned books alongside titles such as Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes.
The ban follows the state's Sensitive Materials Law, originally passed in 2022 and amended in 2024 to remove pornographic or indecent material from schools. The novel was initially removed by three school districts—Davis County, Tooele County, and Washington County—prompting a statewide prohibition under the law's provisions.
Although the popular film adaptations and stage musical based on Maguire's book are rated PG, the author has stated that his novel is 'completely not for children' and deliberately includes 'raunchy material' in its opening pages to set expectations. The Independent has sought comment from Maguire and the Utah State Board of Education.
The state's book-banning efforts have faced legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of authors Elana K. Arnold, Ellen Hopkins, Amy Reed, and the estate of Kurt Vonnegut, arguing that the bans violate First Amendment rights to free speech and reading.
Nationally, book bans have risen sharply; PEN America's Index of School Book Bans for 2024–2025 reports over 6,700 novels banned in school districts across the US.
