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Iowa author of challenged book ‘Crushing It’ speaks at Book Ban Festival in Des Moines

October 13, 2025

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Iowa author Erin Becker first saw her name in print when she was 5 years old.

The fourth Harry Potter book had come out and was being pulled from school libraries in Cedar Rapids for incentivizing witchcraft.

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“I thought that was really terrible and I was a big fan of the books, so I wrote a letter to the editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette,” she said.

Becker, now an author of a book challenged by school book laws, spoke at the Franklin Event Center in Des Moines for Beaverdale Books’ third annual Banned Books Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Her book “Crushing It” came out in August 2024, a time when book challenges were at their height, she said. The book, a middle grade story set in a town inspired by Cedar Rapids, follows two 13-year-old girls whose rivalry on the soccer field is complicated by their feelings for each other.

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“Since the book has come out, it has been really great to hear from teachers and librarians who say, ‘I have students seeking these books out. I have students who are really happy to see themselves reflected on the page,'” Becker said.

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The book was removed from Dallas Center-Grimes after Iowa passed Senate File 496, which banned books that depict sex acts in schools. It was later reshelved, according to a Des Moines Register database. Becker also had trouble touring to promote the book in the law’s wake, she said.

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“I was going to go to Franklin Middle School and all of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, where I grew up. We started getting emails from people in the district saying ‘We don’t know how we’re going to be able to do this,'” she said in reference to her scheduled book talks in Iowa.

The festival also included a pop up shop of banned books. One of the books for sale was “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which follows two male penguins who welcome a baby penguin of their very own.

“It’s a true story of true animals and something that the kids love. So what’s wrong with it? I think it’s a good book. I have it,” said Denise Townsend, 72, a former primary teacher who said she is against any form of book banning.

“I think people are looking for something to be angry about,” she added. “I also think that if you don’t want your child to read a particular book, then you take care of your child. But you have no right to ban other kids and other parents from letting their children read those books.”

The annual festival began in 2023 when Gov. Kim Reynolds first signed SF 496 into law, which also restricts teaching about LGBTQ topics.

Aside from the festival, Beaverdale Books has held 10 other events since Oct. 4 as part of its banned books week. The events were designed to inform residents about the current situation of banned books in Iowa and the United States, according to its website.

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Iowa author of challenged book ‘Crushing It’ speaks at Book Ban Festival in Des Moines

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