Which banned books have been removed from Iowa schools? Our updated database lists them; Des Moines Register, October 16, 2023

Tim Webber, Des Moines Register; Which banned books have been removed from Iowa schools? Our updated database lists them

"A new law approved this year by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa’s Republican-controlled Legislature has already resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries throughout Iowa, according to data obtained by the Des Moines Register, and that number could reach the thousands by the start of the new calendar year. 

Senate File 496, signed into law by Reynolds in May, bans books with descriptions or depictions of sex acts from school libraries and prohibits instruction on gender and sexual identity until seventh grade, among other effects.

Since then, schools have worked throughout the summer and into the new school year to meet the law’s new restrictions, with the process still ongoing in many districts...

Which books have been pulled from the shelves in my Iowa school district?

Through Wednesday morning, 24 school districts have sent the Register a list of books that have been removed from their schools’ shelves.

They can be viewed in this database, or you can use the quick search tool below. The database groups together graphic novels, translations and other direct adaptations with the original work. Additionally, note that some school districts have removed books as a precautionary measure as they determine whether they can be returned to the shelves...

Together, more than 450 individual works by more than 300 authors have already been pulled from the shelves of Iowa school districts as a result of Senate File 496. Our database will continue to be updated as we receive more lists from districts around the state."