When Jodi Picoult’s novel “Nineteen Minutes” was first published in 2007, it won several awards for young people’s literature and was included in many states’ reading curriculum plans. Yet the book, which depicts the impact of a school shooting ...

Once recommended for young adults, Picoult's Nineteen Minutes leads among 4,200 titles banned in schools, writers' group PEN America says Jodi Picoult remembers when everyone seemed to praise her novel Nineteen Minutes,

A record number of books were banned in districts across the country during the 2023-2024 school year, according to a free speech organization.

Jodi Picoult remembers when everyone seemed to praise her novel Nineteen Minutes, a 2007 bestseller about a school shooting, that now tops a PEN America list of the books most banned in schools. "Not only was it recommended for young adults to read, but it was on the curriculum in schools where it's now banned," the author said.

Jodi Picoult's “Nineteen Minutes” has topped a list compiled by PEN America of the books most often pulled from school shelves.

The 2007 bestseller was included in school curriculums when it was first published but is now banned in most schools