Utah’s first book ban of the new school year is in.
“Push” by Sapphire got cut across the state Wednesday after the Davis, Granite and Washington County school districts removed it, bringing the total number of books banned from public schools to 37.
Sapphire’s 1996 novel follows Precious Jones, an illiterate, 16-year-old growing up in Harlem, New York. She’s invisible to her father, who rapes her, and to her mother, who beats her. Her pleas to authorities go unanswered. But when Precious, pregnant with a second child by her father, meets a teacher, she not only learns how to write, but also to be the author of her own life story.
The movie version of “Push” premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic competition. The movie, starring Gabourey Sidibe and Mariah Carey, was later retitled “Precious,” because another movie named “Push” came out that year.
“Precious” won two Academy Awards, for Mo’Nique’s supporting performance and Geoffrey Fletcher’s screenplay adaptation.
