Yes, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) Is Banned!
📖 Why You Should Read This Book
Rosen wrote the queer YA thriller that didn't exist when he was a teenager. Jack is unapologetically himself, and the book treats queer teen sexuality with the same frankness straight teens get in every other YA novel.
Jack Rothman is a 17-year-old gay kid who’s out, proud, and sexually active, and he’s tired of the abstinence-only sex ed that pretends people like him don’t exist. So he starts an anonymous sex-advice column for his school, answering the questions his classmates are too afraid to ask out loud. Then someone starts leaving threatening notes in his locker. L.C. Rosen wrote the book he needed as a queer teenager: a YA novel where a gay protagonist gets to be sexual, funny, and messy without being punished for it. The thriller element (who is Jack’s stalker?) drives the plot, but the real engine is Jack’s refusal to be ashamed.
Jack of Hearts has been challenged 11 times across Texas, Tennessee, and New York, primarily for LGBTQ+ themes. The objections aren’t subtle: challengers want this book gone because it depicts a gay teenager having and enjoying sex. Straight teen characters get this treatment in hundreds of YA novels without controversy. Rosen has pointed out that queer kids deserve the same frank, honest representation that straight kids take for granted. The book won a Stonewall Honor and remains one of the most important queer YA novels of the past decade. Banning it sends a clear message to gay teens about whose sexuality is acceptable, and that’s exactly the harm Rosen wrote the book to counter.
Why Was It Banned?
Where Was It Banned?
Read It Anyway
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jack of Hearts (and other parts) banned?
Yes, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen has been banned or challenged in 11 documented instances across 3 states in the United States, including Tennessee, New York, Texas. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.
Why was Jack of Hearts (and other parts) banned?
Jack of Hearts (and other parts) has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: LGBTQ+ Themes. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.
Where is Jack of Hearts (and other parts) banned?
As of 2025, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) has been banned or challenged in Tennessee, New York, Texas. Notable bans include Wilson County Schools (2022), Yorktown Central School District (2022), Birdville Independent School District (2021).