Iowa competes with Florida for most book bans

Rightwing activists are going after books across the country. And in Iowa, the number of bans is near the top of the country.

An analysis of book bans in the US over the last three years found 10,000 books were banned. And nearly 36% were in Iowa.

From Adel DeSoto Minburn to Woodward-Granger Community School District, classic thrillers like Stephen King’s It and young adult hits like Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give have all been taken from school shelves.

The report “Banned in the USA” was produced by PEN America which advocates against educational censorship. Axios Des Moines first reported it ranked Iowa just underneath Florida in the number of books banned. Florida banned 4,500 to Iowa’s 3,600. These books “overwhelmingly include books with people and characters of color (44%) and books with LGBTQ+ people and characters (39%).” Nearly 60% of these books are young adult titles that include topics like grief, addiction, mental health concerns and sexual violence. The report made use of The Des Moines Register’s dataset of banned books.

Iowa’s book bans are connected to the Iowa Legislature’s Senate File 496, which went into effect last year. It required all school libraries to only carry books that are “age-appropriate.” This includes materials with any mention of a “sex act.” It also prohibits discussion and instruction through sixth grade about gender identity and sexual orientation.

States across the country are experimenting with banning books. But data shows Iowa is banning the most.

And if a school district or employee has violated this, there are penalties:

1. On first violation, the school board will be issued a written warning.
2. On second violation, the school district’s superintendent or employee responsible will be subjected to a hearing by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners which may result in disciplinary action that could include the loss of their teaching license.

Since the law passed, school officials and education advocates have asked for the Iowa Department of Education for guidance. In that absence, school districts have opted to remove books by the hundred under threat of penalty. The state Board of Education will meet to finalize new rules for this law’s implementation in January.

The 10 most banned books in Iowa

1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult – banned 76 times
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green – banned 76 times
3. Sold by Patricia McCormick – banned 62 times
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – banned 60 times
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – banned 55 times
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – banned 53 times
7. Crack by Ellen Hopkins – banned 49 times
8. Identical by Ellen Hopkins – banned 47 times
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – banned 45 times
10. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins – banned 44 times