Greg Ketter, the owner of Dreamhaven Books & Comics in Minneapolis, went viral for putting words to what so many are feeling right now. He is angry. And he knows what book banning & the suppression of dissent means: “the chipping away of our freedom.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Do not mistake “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel for a survival story. At its core, “Station Eleven” is hopeful. It argues for the importance of art, literature, theater. It argues that humanity is something that must be nourished and tended to. It is the exact book everyone needs to read right now.

Equal parts semi-autobiography, anti-war commentary, science-fiction exploration, and satire, Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” centers on the infamous and brutal Bombing of Dresden during World War II. Vonnegut is one of those authors whose contributions to both literature and American culture are innumerable, and now his estate is at the center of a push to maintain the freedom to read. A group of best-selling authors, Utah students, the ACLU, and Kurt Vonnegut’s estate represented by his four children, are suing state officials in Utah over their book banning legislation.

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes follows Henson Blayze, a kind and gifted young athlete who is one of the few Black kids in a small town. When his 10-year-old neighbor is beaten nearly to death by two state troopers, Henson is forced to confront a moral crossroads—choosing between what is right and his own athletic ambition. Author Derrick Barnes challenges the belief that sports automatically bring people together, calling it “one of the fallacies of this country.” While sports can unite us, he argues, that only happens when we as a country, “address the issues that have been bogging us down.” Barnes also warns against viewing Black athletes as mere entertainment at the expense of their humanity.

A cultural phenomenon, a social media favorite, and a hit TV show, "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart is officially a trilogy spanning multiple generations. Written with Lockhart's trademark twist and literary references, these books, including the newest “We Fell Apart”, are an examination of privilege, reconciliation, and identity.

“The Day the Books Disappeared” by Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard, was born out of the uptick in censorship and challenges to literary access happening over the past few years. Since publication, though, it has become a cultural artifact, a microcosm of American culture today, by being censored in its own right. 

Today’s meeting of the Velshi Banned Book Club dives into Jane Austen’s masterpiece, “Pride and Prejudice,” the romance novel that has defined the genre. Author Elaine Castillo shares how Austen inspired her own work and discusses why Austen romances have had such a profound effect on readers for generations.

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a pioneering work of both science fiction and patriarchal criticism. It’s a warning that science can go too far, an examination of maternal guilt, or a story of how monsters get created. Regardless of your reading, there are few stories, literary or otherwise, that have such ubiquitous recognition, fascination, and appeal across generations.

“Breathless” by Jennifer Niven is a reminder of exactly why young adult fiction resonates with so many readers. Through gentle and poignant storytelling, “Breathless” is an exploration of how to find yourself after experiencing your first devastating loss as a young person. In Nevin’s own words, “Breathless” is a story about choosing your voice, your future, your body, and yourself.

‘The Knife and the Butterfly’, by veteran member of the Velshi Banned Book Club Ashley Hope Pérez, is a salient reminder of just how much a novel can create and foster empathy. “The Knife and the Butterfly” tells the story of two teenagers, members of rival gangs, and the single act of violence that connects them forever. Pérez says, “...literature is always working to support readers in encountering and navigating the whole range of human experiences.”

Equal parts a meditation on young adulthood, a tribute to the power of friendship, and an examination of what it means to belong as an immigrant in America, “All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir is proof we all need to be listening to what teenagers and young adults have to say. 

Everything in the world M.T. Anderson created in his novel “Feed” is informed by the ‘feed’, a commercial brain implant that allows constant access to the internet, including a relentless stream of advertisements. When a hacker with little interest in the feed enters our young protagonist’s life, though, he is confronted with the realities of his existence: the perils of consumerism, his dangerous reliance on technology, the truth of his freewill, and just how endangered his critical thinking is. It is hard to believe that a novel so prescient, so relevant, was published in 2002.

A brand new documentary from director Raoul Peck and producer Alex Gibney is a timely film centered around the writings and warnings of author George Orwell. It warns the “newspeak” of authoritarian rule is very much present in the current day. Gibney joins Ali Velshi to discuss the importance of Orwell’s works – especially at this point in history. “As a man of the world, he saw patterns of abuses of power, and he realized that they repeated themselves over and over and over again, across borders and through time,” Gibney says. “That's what makes Orwell's writing so compelling, is those simple patterns that repeat themselves over and over and over again…It's a very bleak vision of the future.”

A new report released by PEN America outlines the disturbing new trend of book bans becoming normalized. The report tracked more than 6,800 instances of books being temporarily or permanently pulled from library shelves during the 2024-2025 school year. Author Stephen King tops the list with the most books banned. Critics warn that schools are “obeying in advance” pulling books from the shelves before it’s even demanded. 

Book bans have slowly become normalized in recent years and a new report from PEN America shows the alarming consequences. Under President Trump, the book ban movement has escalated with the federal government becoming a potent force for restricting book titles deemed to be controversial. PEN America President and author Jennifer Finney Boylan warns “this is not normal. This is not the way democracy is supposed to function… free people read books."

Author Arundhati Roy joins the Velshi Banned Book Club to discuss her Booker Prize-winning novel “The God of Small Things,” and to share her perspective on the subversive power of storytelling to shatter social and political boundaries. Though written in 1997, Roy’s exploration of these social rigidities–from Indian caste codes to societal taboos to familial responsibility–remains relevant as ever in the broader fight against literary censorship.

The influence of George Orwell’s “1984” continues to be relevant in today’s scary world. Any discussion of authoritarianism, surveillance, and the manipulation of truth invokes the dystopian landscape in Orwell’s novel. Reading “1984” is one of the first and most formative moments when American students are asked to consider government overreach and the fragility and malleability of their own minds. Veronica Roth, the author of another hugely influential dystopian series, “Divergent,” joins the Velshi Banned Book Club to discuss.

By reframing U.S. history by placing the realities of slavery at the center of it, Nikole Hannah-Jones’ landmark initiative “The 1619 Project” offers answers to questions of identity, belonging, and origin for Black Americans. But what about for Black children? Today’s Velshi Banned Book Club meeting will examine the children’s adaptation called “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water”. Lyrically written with beautiful illustrations, “Born on the Water” tells the story of a young girl who receives a family tree assignment in school. The rest, as they say, is history. Co-author Renée Watson & illustrator by Nikkolas Smith join the Velshi Banned Book Club.