SALT LAKE CITY — Best-selling author Stephen King did not mince words while responding to a Utah book ban that has removed one of his titles from state public schools.
"What is wrong with these people?" asked King in a social media post.
King's book, "Different Seasons," which is a collection of stories, including ones that inspired beloved movies "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Stand By Me," was added to the Utah State Board of Education's list of sensitive materials and removed from libraries in the Davis, Jordan, Tooele and Washington school districts.
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?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 14, 2026
In his response to the ban, King called the stories told in "Different Seasons" ones of "friendship and courage." He added that they're "readable by teens, too." Before the ban, "Different Seasons" had been available to Utah students in grades 7-12.
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As of Wednesday, King's post on X had received more than 20,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments.
With the addition of King's title, 36 books are now banned from Utah schools.
Utah law allows for books to be removed from school libraries if at least three local districts, or at least two school districts and five charter schools, claim their content contains "objective sensitive material."
