Books are disappearing. It’s not a slow fade or a lack of interest; it’s a deliberate removal. If you’ve been paying attention to school board meetings or local library headlines lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Ali Velshi definitely does. He didn’t just watch it happen. He started a club.
The Ali Velshi Banned Book Club began as a segment on his MSNBC show back in February 2022. It wasn't just a "book of the month" thing. It was a reaction to a massive spike in book challenges across the United States. Velshi, a veteran journalist who’s covered wars and global economic collapses, saw something uniquely threatening in the way certain stories were being scrubbed from shelves.
Honestly, it's kinda wild how many classics are on the hit list. We’re talking about "1984," "The Giver," and even "Romeo and Juliet."
Why the Velshi Banned Book Club Actually Matters
Most people assume book banning is a relic of the past. It’s not. According to PEN America, thousands of titles are being pulled from schools and libraries every year. Velshi’s project, which has since expanded into a full-blown podcast and a series of deep-dive interviews, tackles this head-on by centering the authors themselves.
He doesn’t just talk about the books. He talks to the people who wrote them. Authors like Margaret Atwood, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and George M. Johnson show up to explain why their words are being targeted. Basically, the club operates on the idea that "reading is resistance."
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If you understand the book, the ban looks a lot more like a political tool than a protective measure. It's about control. By removing stories that deal with race, gender, or uncomfortable history, you’re essentially narrowing the world for the next generation.
A Quick Look at the Hit List
You’ve probably read some of these. Or maybe you haven’t, and that’s exactly why the club exists. Here are a few heavy hitters that have been featured:
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: This one is a constant target. It deals with the devastating impact of racism and beauty standards on a young Black girl. It’s raw, it’s painful, and it’s one of the most challenged books in America.
- Maus by Art Spiegelman: A graphic novel about the Holocaust where Jews are mice and Nazis are cats. It was banned in a Tennessee school district, which basically sent the book to the top of the bestseller lists.
- All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson: A "memoir-manifesto" about growing up Black and queer. It’s a frequent target because it doesn’t shy away from the realities of identity.
- Small Acts of Courage: Interestingly, Velshi kicked off Season 2 of the podcast with his own book. While it hasn't been banned, it provides the "why" behind his obsession with democracy and the freedom to read.
The Strategy Behind the Bans
It’s easy to dismiss these bans as "angry parents at a meeting," but it's more organized than that. Organizations like Moms for Liberty have created scripts and lists that make it easy for people to challenge dozens of books at once.
Velshi’s interviews often reveal a recurring theme: the people trying to ban the books usually haven't read them. They’ve read a "salacious" paragraph out of context on a Facebook group. They haven’t sat with the characters.
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The Ali Velshi Banned Book Club tries to fix that by doing actual literary and cultural analysis. It’s not just "this is good" or "this is bad." It’s "why does this story make someone in power feel threatened?"
The Impact on Real People
We often talk about censorship as an abstract concept. For a kid in a small town who feels alone, a book like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" or "Gender Queer" might be the only place they see themselves reflected.
When those books go away, the message is clear: You don't belong here. Brian Bond, the CEO of PFLAG, told Velshi that access to these books is literally a matter of life and death for some young people. It's about empathy. If you can’t read about someone different from you, how do you learn to respect them?
How to Get Involved
If you're tired of hearing about books being locked away, you don't have to just sit there. The Ali Velshi Banned Book Club is surprisingly interactive. They actually encourage people to write in with questions and reactions at MyStory@Velshi.com.
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You can also:
- Check the lists. Look at what’s being challenged in your own school district. Don't take someone else's word for what's in the book—read it yourself.
- Support your local librarian. Librarians are on the front lines of this thing. Many are facing harassment or even losing their jobs for defending the right to read.
- Start your own "banned" circle. You don't need a national TV show to have these conversations. Pick a book from the PEN America list and talk about it with your neighbors.
- Follow the podcast. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and most other platforms. It’s a great way to stay informed about which authors are currently under fire.
Censorship thrives in silence and ignorance. The best way to fight a ban is to make the book more popular than it ever would have been otherwise. Buy it, borrow it from a library, and most importantly, talk about it.
Your Next Step
Start by picking up one of the most frequently challenged books—like George M. Johnson’s "All Boys Aren't Blue" or Lois Lowry’s "The Giver"—and reading it cover to cover. Once you've finished, write a short review or a letter to your local library board expressing why the book should remain accessible to everyone in your community.