Texas Librarians and Teachers Fear Book Removals as Patrick Targets 2,200 Titles
In August 2026, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged public schools to remove about 2,200 books he labeled as "vulgar" and "pornographic," referencing a list from Recover America, a Christian conservative group. An English teacher in Austin, Frank Strong, noted that only two copies of Erika Sánchez's "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" remain due to its popularity among students. Senate Bill 13 allows school boards to decide on books based on complaints, leading some districts to halt new purchases. For instance, Lubbock ISD didn't place any book orders between August 2025 and February 2026. As Patrick campaigns for reelection in November, he is pushing for a law affecting academic accountability ratings, which includes controversial titles like "Hatchet" and "Lolita."
Key facts
- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged Texas schools in August 2026 to remove nearly 2,200 books he called "vulgar"
- The list was compiled by the Christian conservative activist group Recover America
- Frank Strong, a 12th-year English teacher at an Austin charter school, has only two of 20 copies of "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" left
- Senate Bill 13 gives school boards authority to approve and remove books based on complaints
- Lubbock ISD made no book orders from August 2025 to February 2026 because of SB 13
- Carolyn Foote co-founded Texas FReadom Fighters and obtained district responses via public information requests
- Recover America's list includes "Hatchet," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "Flowers for Algernon," "Night," "Lolita" and "Fifty Shades of Grey"
- Patrick, up for reelection in November, backs downgrading school accountability ratings tied to STAAR performance
Entities
Artists
- Frank Strong
- Erika Sánchez
- Gary Paulsen
- Maya Angelou
- Oscar Wilde
- Daniel Keyes
- Vladimir Nabokov
- E. L. James
- Ellen Hopkins
- Jesse Andrews
- Kathy Rollo
- Shirley Robinson
- Bonnie Wallace
- Carolyn Foote
- Mary Woodward
- Betty Smith
- Elizabeth Acevedo
- Dan Patrick
- Colleen DeGuzman
Institutions
- Recover America
- Texas Library Association
- Texas FReadom Fighters
- Lubbock ISD
- Turning Point USA
- Lubbock-Avalanche Journal
- Texas State Board of Education
- The Texas Tribune
- The 74
- GoodReads
- Mesquite ISD
- Texas Capitol
Locations
- Texas
- United States
- Austin
- Lubbock
- Sherman
- Harlem
- New York
- Central Texas
- Mesquite