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Cover of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

by Malinda Lo

ISBN: 9780525555278Penguin

With the threat of deportation looming over her father--in spite of his hard-won citizenship and disavowal of Communism--seventeen-year-old American-born Chinese Lily Hu pursues a relationship with her Caucasian classmate Kath. Includes author's note.

Genres

YA FictionLGBTQ FictionHistorical Fiction
Author self-identifies as: person of color, LGBTQ+source ↗About these classifications →

Banned or challenged 7 times across 7 jurisdictions.

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Related Laws

This book has been banned or challenged under these laws.

⚠ Challenger signal

Also flagged by 3 challenger groups

These groups have publicly targeted this book for removal. This is NOT a confirmed ban — it’s a signal that the book is on one or more challenger lists, which often precedes formal challenges in specific districts. See methodology for how we distinguish targeting from enforcement.

Timeline

Unified view of laws affecting this book and jurisdictions where it’s been removed or challenged, in chronological order.

10 law events5 ban events
  1. 22

    Mar 22, 2022

    LawFlorida H 1467

    Signed by Officers and presented to Governor

  2. 22

    Mar 25, 2022

    LawFlorida H 1467

    Approved by Governor

  3. 23

    May 3, 2023

    LawFlorida H 1069

    Ordered enrolled

  4. 23

    May 16, 2023

    LawFlorida H 1069

    Signed by Officers and presented to Governor

  5. 23

    May 17, 2023

    LawFlorida H 1069

    Approved by Governor

  6. 23

    Jun 13, 2023

    LawTexas HB 900

    Signed by the Governor

  7. 23

    Jun 30, 2023

    Banremoved

    Clay County School District, FL

    Removed per FL Stat. 1006.28(2) — reported in the FL DoE 2022-2023 statewide report.

  8. 24

    Apr 23, 2024

    LawTennessee HB 0843

    Signed by Governor.

  9. 24

    May 1, 2024

    LawTennessee HB 0843

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2024

  10. 24

    Jun 30, 2024

    Banremoved

    Volusia County School District, FL

    Removed per FL Stat. 1006.28(2) — reported in the FL DoE 2023-2024 statewide report.

  11. 24

    Aug 14, 2024

    Banreinstated

    Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK

    Returned to library shelves per Judge Sharon Gleason's August 7, 2024 preliminary injunction order (to be completed by 2024-08-14). The November 4, 2024 settlement confirmed this return + a $89,000 payment to plaintiffs, with 7 of the original 56 titles staying permanently off district library shelves.

  12. 24

    Oct 24, 2024

    Banremoved

    Wilson County Schools, TN

    Pulled from Wilson County Schools libraries in October 2024 to comply with Tennessee HB 843.

  13. 24

    Nov 1, 2024

    Banremoved

    Katy ISD, TX

    Removed from Katy Independent School District libraries under TX HB 900.

  14. 25

    Aug 13, 2025

    LawFlorida H 1069

    Federal Judge Carlos Mendoza (U.S. Middle District of FL) rules in Penguin Random House v. Gibson that HB 1069 provision targeting "descriptions of sexual conduct" is unconstitutionally overbroad. Named 23 books and stated "none of these books are obscene." The mandate to remove books with even a single reference to prohibited subject matter violates students' First Amendment right of free access to ideas. Parts requiring a process for challenging books were NOT struck down.

  15. 26

    Apr 8, 2026

    LawFlorida H 1069

    Jacksonville group proposed banning three books from Duval County Public Schools, citing violation of state law regarding sexual content

Platform availability

9 platforms tracked

Availability at online retailers and library platforms, refreshed by our daily scanner. “Pending review” means the scanner saw the title unavailable but a human hasn’t confirmed whether it’s a stockout or a real removal.

All ban records (7)

Volusia County School District, FL

school · school district

RemovedThe book has been formally removed from the library or curriculum.

Removed per Florida Statute 1006.28(2) following parent/resident objections during the 2023-2024 school year.

Reported Jun 30, 2024

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK

school · school district

ReinstatedThe book was previously removed but has been returned to shelves.

Challenged by school board; reviewed per court order in Case 3:23-cv-00265-SLG

Clay County School District, FL

school · school district

RemovedThe book has been formally removed from the library or curriculum.

Removed per Florida Statute 1006.28(2) following parent/resident objections during the 2022-2023 school year.

Reported Jun 30, 2023

Fort Worth ISD, TX

school · school district

Under ConsiderationA board or committee is actively reviewing whether to remove this book.

Under review by committee of master-certified librarians per FWISD book review process.

Reported Aug 28, 2023

Katy ISD, TX

school · school district

RemovedThe book has been formally removed from the library or curriculum.

Removed from Katy ISD libraries to comply with Texas HB 900 (READER Act, 2023), which requires book vendors to assign content ratings to library materials and prohibits 'sexually explicit' content in school libraries. Some sections of HB 900 were partially struck down by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Reported Nov 1, 2024

Keller ISD, TX

school · school district

RemovedThe book has been formally removed from the library or curriculum.

Removed under Keller ISD EFB policy review. Board overruled their own review committee decisions.

Reported Aug 16, 2022

Wilson County Schools, TN

school · school district

RemovedThe book has been formally removed from the library or curriculum.

Removed in October 2024 to comply with Tennessee HB 843 (2024 amendment to the Age-Appropriate Materials Act).

Reported Oct 24, 2024