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Cover of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Díaz

ISBN: 9780143142805Penguin Audio2007

Genres

Literary Fiction

Banned or challenged 2 times across 2 jurisdictions.

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Related Laws

This book has been banned or challenged under these laws.

Timeline

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

4 law events1 ban event
  1. 25

    May 6, 2025

    LawTexas SB 13

    SB 13 heads to House floor. Texas Freedom Network hosts Read-In protest inside Texas Capitol chamber steps, with students, educators, parents, bookstore owners opposing the bill.

  2. 25

    May 31, 2025

    LawTexas SB 13

    Gov. Greg Abbott signs SB 13 into law. Establishes school library advisory councils (majority parents), requires removal of "profane," "indecent," or "sexually explicit" content.

  3. 25

    Jun 20, 2025

    LawTexas SB 13

    Signed by the Governor

  4. 25

    Sep 1, 2025

    LawTexas SB 13

    SB 13 takes effect for 2025-2026 school year. New Braunfels ISD begins removing 1,540+ books under the law.

  5. 26

    Feb 20, 2026

    Bantemporarily removed

    South Orange & Maplewood School District, NJ

    After pushback, district implemented opt-in permission form system for parents to allow students to study the novel. PEN America classifies this as a book ban. Book had been in curriculum since 2011. Article notes district passed 'Right to Read' resolution in June 2023 and NJ signed statewide 'Freedom to Read' law in December 2024.

Platform availability

3 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 (2)

South Orange & Maplewood School District, NJ

school · school district

Temporarily RemovedThe book has been pulled from shelves pending a formal review.

Scene depicting suicide attempt during mental health crisis; district stated it was 'the right book' but 'the wrong time with what's happening' given at least five suicide attempts by students this year

Reported Feb 20, 2026

New Braunfels ISD, TX

school · school district

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

Weeded under SB 13 review

Reported Jan 1, 2026