Utah’s decision to ban A Court of Thorns and Roses proves that free thinking is off the table in the US

By Charlie Sawyer

Published Sep 16, 2024 at 02:18 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Image courtesy of Element5 Digital from Pexels

While restricting the rights of queer and trans individuals sits firmly in first place, Utah’s second favourite thing to do is most definitely ban books. And recently, the right-wing state placed a blanket ban on 13 books in schools, meaning that any public academic institution that provides students access to these books could face a hefty lawsuit. Interestingly, the inclusion of BookTok legend A Court of Thorns and Roses (Acotar) has prompted people to question how far certain US states are willing to go to try and censor any text that challenges conservative and traditional values.

For some context, Utah’s recent book ban also included works by Margaret Atwood, Rupi Kaur, and Judy Blume. The state argues that its top priority should be “protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography over other considerations.” 

However, this so-called form of protection and caution also coincidentally overlaps with the state’s true intention: to limit young people’s access to literature that openly explores and questions sex, sexuality, gender norms, and the traditional nuclear family.

Speaking with The Guardian, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, exclaimed how this ban was a “tragedy.” “It really is an effort to allow a minority to dictate the contents of library shelves, and conform what’s on library shelves to their own political, religious and moral values,” the expert continued.

Caldwell-Stone emphasised how Utah’s decision would directly impact the ability of young people to learn about different identities and paths of life—restricting them and forcing them to conform to the hyper-conservative and right-wing religious culture of the South.

Now, while I don’t live in Utah or have an abundance of knowledge on all of the books on the banned list, I have read Acotar and so can offer some insight there. I know that the series by Sarah J. Maas contains its fair share of smut—indeed it’s one of the main reasons I’m a huge fan.

However, it also encourages free thinking and describes a world where, as aptly explored by Jackie Jennings in a recent Jezebel article, challenging the status quo is necessary.

While Utah might try to claim that pornographic content is the only thing it’s trying to keep children from, including Acotar on the list just reinforces the reality that what they’re really doing is stopping people from accessing strong female protagonists written by strong female authors.

Moreover, it says a lot that Acotar is lauded on TikTok by so many Gen Z readers. A tool that’s powerful, inspiring, and easily accessible to young people is undoubtedly terrifying to the likes of an oppressive state and government.

Censorship of popular and important literature is skyrocketing right now. In 2023, more books were banned in US schools and libraries than any other year for which records have been kept, as reported by the American Library Association (ALA).

Indeed, as is the case with all current book bans in the US, the works vetoed almost always touch upon progressive and important cultural topics. Christian nationalism is evidently on the rise not only in southern states but across the entire US. And Utah’s decision to ban Acotar makes it horrifically clear that any book that encourages free thought, and especially female heroism, is at risk of execution.