Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.
2025
On July 1, Utah HB 29 changed the state code regarding “sensitive materials” in schools. HB 29 requires all school districts in the state to remove a book if three districts determine it is “pornographic or indecent.” The growing list of books banned from all school libraries in Utah includes sixt itles by Sarah J. Maas, as well as books by Margaret Atwood and Judy Blume.
2024
In 2023, ALA documented 324 challenges to 17 of Maas’s titles across five bestselling series, the most attempts to censor the works of one author during a single year.
In January, pressure group We the People of Jackson County submitted more than 200 written requests targeting 57 titles in libraries of Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools (MO). The titles included A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Empire of Storms. The school board stated that while they must abide by their reconsideration policies, they were obligated to reject coordinated book banning efforts. The district formed 28 review committees, on which volunteers spent nearly 2,000 hours and district staff worked more than 400 hours. The process cost the district nearly $19,000. All challenged titles were retained without restriction.
On These Pages
A Banned book has been removed from a library, classroom, etc.
A Challenged book has been requested to be removed from a library, classroom, etc.
For additional information contact
Ron Titus, titus@marshall.edu
304-696-6575
Last updated
July 31, 2025