Utah officials have ordered Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West off public school library shelves, increasing the statewide crackdown on titles deemed "sensitive" under a controversial education law and its recent H.B. 29 Sensitive Material Review Amendments.The book, published in 1995, inspired Stephen Schwartz's 2003 hit Broadway musical of the same name, and two record-breaking film adaptations 2024's Wicked and 2025's Wicked: For Good directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (as Glinda).Wicked is one of three books that were formally banned on January 5, 2026 along with Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. This censorship law from the Utah State Board of Education was first passed in 2022 and was subsequently amended in 2024, as reported by Playbill. Altogether, this law has already banned a total of 22 books that "strip library collections of a broad range of books they classify as containing 'sensitive materials,'" the report adds.The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah on behalf of authors and two anonymous high school students, arguing that this law violates the First Amendment by ignoring the educational value of published works that are age-appropriate. See on Instagram Furthermore, the ACLU underscores that a disproportionate number of banned books were written by women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ writers.The full list of 22 books banned in Utah under this new law and its recent amendments can be found below (via The Salt Lake Tribune).Water for Elephants Sara GruenTilt Ellen HopkinsFallout Ellen HopkinsTricks Ellen HopkinsBlankets Craig ThompsonA Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. MaasA Court of Mist and Fury Sarah J. MaasA Court of Wings and Ruin Sarah J. MaasA Court of Frost and Starlight Sarah J. MaasA Court of Silver Flames Sarah J. MaasDamsel Elana K. ArnoldEmpire of Storms Sarah J. MaasForever Judy BlumeLike a Love Story Abdi NazemianLiving Dead Girl Elizabeth ScottMilk and Honey Rupi KaurOryx & Crake Margaret AtwoodWhat Girls Are Made Of Elana K. ArnoldThirteen Reasons Why Jay AsherWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Gregory MaguireNineteen Minutes Jodi PicoultThe Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen ChboskyThis story is still developing