Jodi Picoult speaks out about Iowa school district banning her New York Times bestseller

Famed author Jodi Picoult spoke out on social media last month about her book "Nineteen Minutes" being banned in Urbandale schools as part of a state law ordering the removal of books with sex acts.

Picoult is one of the literary world's most notable public voices against "book bans." "Nineteen Minutes" is about the unraveling of events in a school shooting including the run-up and aftermath of the tragedy.

The shooter in the book is bullied at the fictional New Hampshire school and called homophobic slurs before the shooting.

Urbandale schools had flagged 374 books for removal but then hit pause, deciding not to remove books with references to gender identity and sexual orientation, according to an email from the district's superintendent to faculty members and families.

More: Books challenged in Iowa schools frequently tell stories of LGBTQ, Black and brown people

The removal list came in response to Senate File 496, a sweeping education law that bans books in schools that depict sex acts and also bars schools from providing instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation before the seventh grade.

Urbandale's revised list of 64 titles still includes "19 Minutes," which didn't please Picoult.

"Update on book bans in Urbandale, Iowa: they've revised the number of challenged books from 400+ to about 40. But of course 19 Minutes is still one of them," Picoult tweeted alongside an eyeroll emoji.

Picoult previously spoke out on a Facebook post writing after Urbandale's initial longer list was published, "God, I'm sick of having my books banned. This time: My Sister's Keeper, Mercy and 19 Minutes in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa."

More: In 3 years, 60 books have been challenged in Iowa schools. A new law could ban far more.

Picoult is the author of 30 No. 1 books, according to her website, and she is one of the nation's most famed authors. "Nineteen Minutes" was her first-ever novel to debut as a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jodi Picoult speaks out about Iowa school district book ban