Schools in the state of Utah have banned a classic collection of Stephen King's stories.
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But what's surprising about the news is that the book contains some of the author's most beloved tales. It also inspired two classic films.
What Stephen King Book Was Banned?
The Guardian reports that the 1982 collection of King's short stories, Different Seasons, was removed from school libraries in the Davis, Jordan, Tooele and Washington school districts earlier this month. The book was available to students between the seventh and 12th grades.
That move triggered a statewide ban of the book. This occurs when at least three school districts, or at least two school districts and five charter schools, consider a book contains "objective sensitive material."
The law defines objectionable material as "instructional material that constitutes pornographic or indecent" content. This includes material "harmful to minors" or that contains pornographic material.
Utah's list of banned books also includes the young adult classic The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. It also features the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The Gregory Maguire novel also inspired a pair of hit family musicals.
The Book Inspired Two Beloved Movies
Different Seasons includes four beloved stories from King: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: Hope Springs Eternal, Apt Pupil: Summer of Corruption, The Body: Fall from Innocence, and The Breathing Method: A Winter's Tale.
Three of the stories have been adapted into movies. And two of them are considered cinema classics: Stand By Me, Rob Reiner's adaptation of The Body, and The Shawshank Redemption.
Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have objected to Utah's action. It said in a statement that the state is "trampling on the protections guaranteed by the First Amendment."
Additionally, King himself has also spoken out against it on social media.
He posted on X, "They banned Different Seasons in Utah. Contains Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption, stories of friendship and courage. Readable by teens, too. What's wrong with these people?"
