Velshi Banned Book Club
banner
velshibbc.bsky.social
Velshi Banned Book Club
@velshibbc.bsky.social
Join @velshi.com live on weekend mornings at 10AM ET
What does the uptick in censorship & book bans mean for authors today? “The Knife and the Butterfly” author Ashley Hope Pérez says, “the biggest obstacle...the temptation to shrink or constrain the range of experiences authors explore in the hope of not being banned.” #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: ‘The Knife and the Butterfly’ by Ashley Hope Pérez
‘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.”
www.msnbc.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Today's #VelshiBannedBookClub feature, “The Knife and the Butterfly” by Ashley Hope Pérez, is a reminder of just how much novels can create a sense of empathy. It tells the story of two teenagers, members of rival gangs, and the single act of violence that connects them forever. Tune in at noon EST!
November 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist @lynseyaddario.bsky.social has put herself in danger to capture the dark realities of war many times. She joins me at 12p ET to discuss the competing demands of her journalism and her family as captured in a brand new documentary. #Velshi
November 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
“All My Rage” is predominantly an immigrant story, but those feelings of wanting to belong and of finding yourself? According to author Sabaa Tahir, “they’re universal.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: “All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir
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. 
www.msnbc.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:40 PM
"Trump & Republicans have unleashed this unprecedented extremism on the American people from the very beginning," says @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social. "We're talking about an assault on the rule of law, an assault on the American way of life, and an assault, of course, on democracy itself." #Velshi
October 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
"Maybe they think they have enough of the levers of power that it no longer matters what people think,” says fascism scholar Jason Stanley of the Trump Administration. But he also says, the more extreme the messaging gets, the more forcefully civil society will push back. #NoKings #Velshi
October 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
"Maybe they think they have enough of the levers of power that it no longer matters what people think,” says fascism scholar Jason Stanley of the Trump Administration. But he also says, the more extreme the messaging gets, the more forcefully civil society will push back. #NoKings #Velshi
October 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The dystopian world that M.T. Anderson created in his novel “Feed” feels eerily similar to the world we live in right now. “You can feel the way the cognition is changing, we’re being rewired by [the technology we use & consume].” How does Anderson fight it? “Books.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: “Feed” by M.T. Anderson
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.
www.msnbc.com
October 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Today's #VelshiBannedBookClub spotlight is "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, our most alarmingly prescient dystopian feature to date. Written before the advent of social media, it warns of the dark effects of high-tech consumerism. Join us at 12p ET!
October 18, 2025 at 1:18 PM
"The erasure of history is a way of unmooring us from what we know to be true, until suddenly the very idea of fact is somehow challenged," says @alexgibneyfilm.bsky.social of George Orwell's ever-relevant warnings against authoritarianism. "It's a very bleak vision of the future." #Velshi
Velshi Banned Book Club: Filmmaker Alex Gibney on the frightening relevance of Orwell’s warnings
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.”
www.msnbc.com
October 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
PEN America's new report says book bans have become "rampant and common." Legendary author and member of the #VelshiBannedBookClub Stephen King has been singled out as the most banned author for the 2024-2025 school year. #VELSHI
Velshi Banned Book Club: PEN America releases new ‘Banned in the USA’ list
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. 
www.msnbc.com
October 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
PEN America's new banned book list is out, showing an alarming number of books being pulled off shelves. PEN America President @jennyboylan.bsky.social joined the #VelshiBannedBookClub to warn against this new normal. “We’re only as strong as our tolerance for stories we don’t agree with.” #VELSHI
Velshi Banned Book Club: Author Jennifer Finney Boylan on PEN America’s ‘Banned in the USA’ list
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."
www.msnbc.com
October 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM
“We stopped being able to have conversations, and when you can’t have conversations, you ban books,” says Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy. Roy argues “books are so subversive” that in the mere act of banning them, “you show your own weakness.” #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: ‘The God of Small of Things’ by Arundhati Roy
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.
www.msnbc.com
September 27, 2025 at 6:19 PM
The great @stephenking.bsky.social has advice for every single member of the #Velshi="/hashtag/VelshiBannedBookClub" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link">#VelshiBannedBookClub, “Run to the library or to the bookstore and find out what they don't want you to read.” #Velshi
Velshi Banned Book Club: an Introduction to the Great Stephen King
There are few authors with as much influence as Stephen King. King’s writing, from imagery to phrases, is deeply entrenched in American culture: “It” and Pennywise cemented the killer clown, “Carrie” defined high school suffering, “The Shining” crystallized haunted hotels, “The Shawshank Redemption” epitomized jailbreak, and “Cujo” became shorthand at the dog park. What connects all of King’s work, from explorations of fairy tales to time travel, is hope.
www.msnbc.com
September 6, 2025 at 6:53 PM
What could be better than a #Velshi="/hashtag/VelshiBannedBookClub" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link">#VelshiBannedBookClub meeting with the singular @egangoonsquad.bsky.social? A #VelshiBannedBookClub meeting on Gothic classic “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier *with* @egangoonsquad.bsky.social. #Velshi 📚
Velshi Banned Book Club: ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with Jennifer Egan
Daphne Du Maurier's “Rebecca” is now 87 years old, it is an immediate best-seller, never once taken out of print, and one of the best examples of Gothic literature of all time. It has also inspired many writers and readers, including the singular, award-winning, and best-selling author Jennifer Egan. Egan read it for the first time at just 11 years old and, as she tells it, was so deeply enthralled with the novel that her mother asked her to please stop reading it. Years later, she wrote her own Gothic.
www.msnbc.com
August 30, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Why is fantasy such an important and popular genre? “Cemetery Boys” author @aidenschmaiden.bsky.social says when “we’re talking about heavy stuff [...] it eases it a little bit with a little magic and mystery and mayhem.” #Velshi="/hashtag/VelshiBannedBookClub" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link">#VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi
www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...
Velshi Banned Book Club: ‘Cemetery Boys’ by Aiden Thomas
A deft exploration of identity, self-acceptance, and the power of first love, “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas is a masterclass in why fantasy isn’t just such a popular genre, but why it is used so often to explore complex topics. When exploring a nuanced and complicated topic like transgender identity and understanding, fantasy helps make it more tangible to readers. “We’re talking about heavy stuff,” says Thomas, “I’m always going to ease it a little bit with a little magic and mystery.”
www.msnbc.com
August 23, 2025 at 6:46 PM
"Let's be more intentional about how we reach kids that are marginalized…Let’s ask more of ourselves,” says author Abdi Nazemian, whose award-winning novel 'Like A Love Story,' is now banned across Utah public schools.

"I want to focus on the best of history, not the worst.” #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: ‘Like a Love Story’ by Abdi Nazemian
Abdi Nazemian’s “Like a Love Story” is a poignant examination of what identity, individuality, community, death, and legacy look like when the stakes are at their highest. Specific in its setting and subject matter – dealing with AIDS and coming out in the 1980s– but universal in its depiction of the teenage experience. One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Young Adult books of All Time, the novel is now banned from all public schools in Utah and faces challenges across the country, despite sometimes – in 2025 –being the first time some students have heard about HIV/AIDS, says Nazemian. "Let's be more intentional about how we reach kids that are marginalized…Let’s ask more of ourselves.” There is sex in this book – discussions about how serious of a step it is, what the risks are, and the realities. There are curse words in this book -- slurs used by society to dehumanize LGBTQ+ people. And none of it gratuitous. "I want to focus on the best of history, not the worst,” says Nazemian – shifting the focus to “to the heroes.”
www.msnbc.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Why is it so crucial to fight bans and preserve access to literature?
The lawsuits help “in a myriad of ways,” says author @iamgmjohnson.bsky.social. "At first I thought they were trying to ban my story, but then I realized they never read my story…Our books are actually saving lives.” #Velshi
Velshi Banned Book Club: Fighting Censorship with George M. Johnson
According to a sweeping new report from Every Library – an organizing platform that supports public and school libraries and librarians – just since January 2025, 133 bills have been introduced in 33 states that would negatively affect libraries, librarians, and access to literature. But across the country, including in red states, people are fighting back... and it is working. “The lawsuits are helping in a myriad of ways,” says NYT bestselling author (and most banned of 2024) George M. Johnson. "At first I thought they were trying to ban my story, but then I realized they never read my story…Our books are actually saving lives.” 
www.msnbc.com
July 26, 2025 at 7:57 PM
A new report from @everylibrary.bsky.social breaks down 130+ bills targeting books and libraries this year. "All Boys Aren't Blue" author @iamgmjohnson.bsky.social returns to the #VelshiBannedBookClub on the ever-important fight for the freedom to read and how to support literature and education.
July 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Tracy Beaumont is a determined teenager fighting for justice when both her brother and father face wrongful murder accusations. “This Is My America” by @kimjohnson.bsky.social offers a powerful look at systemic racism and the flaws within the justice system. Tune in to this week’s #VBBC at 12pET.
July 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Everyone loves a good zombie book, & @maxbrooks.bsky.social author of ‘World War Z’, knows why. “It is human nature for us to tune out [real danger] to save our psyche. But if you give it a veneer of something fictional, like zombies, you can explore all the real factors.” #VelshiBannedBookClub
Velshi Banned Book Club: “World War Z” by Max Brooks
Max Brooks’ seminal zombie thriller, “World War Z”, is set in an alternate 21st century world after a zombie apocalypse -- a pandemic that began in a small Chinese village -- infected and subsequently killed millions. Told through a series of interviews, all conducted by a fictional version of Brooks, there is very intentionally no hero. Each interview subject is a survivor of the apocalypse, each with a different role to play. While “World War Z” grapples with human shortsightedness, the power of fear, the fragility of modern life, the necessity of humanity in the face of chaos, at its core, it is a book about survival.
www.msnbc.com
June 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM