'Wicked,' the novel behind the musical and movies, is now banned in Utah schools [View all]

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: KUER Salt Lake City, UT/NPR

Published January 5, 2026 at 2:27 PM MST
Updated January 6, 2026 at 4:38 PM MST


UPDATE Jan. 6, 2026: The ACLU, along with several authors, including the Vonnegut estate, have sued Utah over its "sensitive materials" book law. Our original story continues below.
—

If Utah students want to read the book that inspired the hit musical “Wicked,” they won’t find it in their public school library. “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, is now part of the growing list of books banned in the state’s K-12 schools. That list stands at 22 titles after three new ones, including “Wicked,” were added at the start of the new year.

The original novel is notably different from the popular Stephen Schwartz musical on Broadway, and the two adapted PG films starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. In a 2024 MassLive interview, Maguire said his book is not meant for children. He purposefully included “somewhat raunchy material” in the early pages to show readers what they were getting into. If they were looking for chorus lines and dancing monkeys, this wasn’t it. It has sex, violence, and sexual violence.

While the book was expressly written for an adult audience, Maguire hasn’t said at what age a reader might be ready for his book, such as older teens. Instead, in interviews, he said he prefers for readers to decide for themselves when they’re ready. Being on the statewide book removal list means that the book is banned for all grade levels, including high school.

Read more: https://www.kuer.org/education/2026-01-05/utah-school-book-bans-wicked-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-nineteen-minutes

---

Link to Vonnegut Estate/ACLU Utah PRESS RELEASE - Vonnegut Estate, Authors, and Student Plaintiffs Take Utah to Court Over the Freedom to Read

Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://www.acluutah.org/app/uploads/2026/01/HB29-Complaint-Filed.pdf