Which books were pulled for review from Saydel Community School District?

Chris Higgins, Des Moines Register
·2 min read
Parents and community members filed 100 challenges to books in Iowa schools between August 2020 and May 2023, according to data gleaned from a statewide records request. Here are images of some of the 60 books that were challenged.

Part of an occasional series.

Twenty-one books appeared on a list of titles to be removed from Saydel Community School District shelves for review to make sure they don't violate a new state law.

The Des Moines Register has requested information from Iowa's 325 school districts about their response to Senate File 496, which bans books with descriptions or depictions of sex acts from schools and prohibits instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through the sixth grade.

The Register has documented lists of pulled books from 44 districts as of Friday and plans to publish articles about lists in Des Moines metro area school districts, when available. Not every district in the state will have a list of removed books: So far, many districts have not responded, some have declined to provide a list and some have not removed any books at all.

More: Database of library books removed in Iowa school districts

The Register has found roughly 500 books removed from at least one district in Iowa as of early December. Lists and numbers are not concrete: An initial list of about 240 books in Nevada was later chopped down to 65.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 496 into law in May. Starting Jan. 1, educators and districts could face state discipline for not complying. The Iowa Board of Education has proposed rules that could offer more guidance about the law. The public hearing process for the proposed rules will run through early January.

The Saydel district provided a list on Oct. 9 of 21 books that were pulled and placed in a secure location so a committee could review them to make sure they don't violate Senate File 496. Superintendent Todd Martin told the Register in an email Friday that there have been no changes.

More: Illustrated anatomy book among 73 removed by Iowa school district to comply with law

Senate File 496 is now the target of two lawsuits, one filed by bestselling authors whose books have been banned and another on behalf of Iowa families and students impacted by the law.

What books were removed in Saydel?

  • "The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood

  • "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews

  • "Forever," by Judy Blume

  • "The Miseducation of Cameron Post," by Emily Danforth

  • "Looking for Alaska," by John Green

  • "The Fault in Our Stars," by John Green

  • "Tricks," by Ellen Hopkins

  • "Identical," by Ellen Hopkins

  • "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini

  • "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley

  • "The Sun and Her Flowers," by Rupi Kaur

  • "Milk and Honey," by Rupi Kaur

  • "Sold," by Patricia McCormick

  • "The Female of the Species," by Mindy McGinnis

  • "Breaking Dawn," by Stephenie Meyer

  • "Beloved," by Toni Morrison

  • "Shine," by Lauren Myracle

  • "Breathless," by Jennifer Niven

  • "Nineteen Minutes," by Jodi Picoult

  • "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter," by Erika L. Sanchez

  • "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Here are the 21 books Saydel pulled from shelves for review