Students at Olympus High, Skyline High and other Holladay-area schools will no longer find "Push" by Sapphire on library shelves after the Granite School District voted to remove the novel, helping trigger a statewide ban that took effect Thursday, Aug. 20.

Granite was one of three districts whose removal votes pushed "Push" past the legal threshold. Davis and Washington County school districts also voted to pull the book, according to Fox 13. Under Utah's HB 29, passed during the 2024 legislative session, a book is banned from every public school in the state once three districts determine it contains "objective sensitive material."

The book is now No. 37 on Utah's banned list.

What the book is about

Sapphire's 1996 novel follows Precious Jones, an illiterate 16-year-old in Harlem who is raped by her father and beaten by her mother. With the help of a teacher, she learns to read and write. The story was adapted into the 2009 film "Precious," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, and later took home two Academy Awards for Mo'Nique's supporting performance and Geoffrey Fletcher's screenplay.

The Davis School District's review committee stated the book "has no serious value for minors," according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Granite District has not released a public statement explaining its vote.

Author responds

Sapphire wrote on her website that "Push" tells the story of "a violent and violated child" who, through acts of love from a teacher and classmates, "becomes an academic success story and a proud, loving mother."

"When we ban books like 'Push,' we are in danger of falling into the sinkholes of hate and prejudice and ignorance and of losing what little love we have left for each other," she wrote.

Local impact

Granite District serves roughly 67,000 students across central Salt Lake County, including Holladay. The ban affects students at Olympus High (adjusted capacity of 2,093 for 2026-2027), Skyline High (2,204), Bonneville Junior High (576) and Olympus Junior High (763), according to district enrollment records.

The same three districts triggered the last round of bans in March 2026, when four titles were removed, including Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale." That brought the statewide total to 27 at the time, as reported by the Holladay Journal.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, a former teacher, called the ban mechanism "the antithesis of local control" during the 2024 legislative debate over HB 29, as the Holladay Journal reported in March. She said a small number of individuals could "take away the rights of parents statewide to make choices that best fit their children's needs."

No upcoming Granite School District board meeting date has been confirmed where parents could address the decision publicly.