You’ve seen the headlines. School board meetings turning into shouting matches. Librarians being threatened with jail time. Boxes of books being hauled out of classrooms in the middle of the night like they’re contraband. It feels like some weird, retro fever dream from the 1950s, but it’s happening right now in 2026.
Enter Ali Velshi.
He didn’t just report on the chaos; he built a bunker for the stories themselves. The Velshi Banned Book Club isn't your average "let’s drink wine and talk about plot points" group. It’s a full-on act of resistance. Basically, Velshi decided that if certain groups wanted to erase these voices, he was going to hand them a megaphone instead.
The Core of the Velshi Banned Book Club
Honestly, the whole thing started because the numbers were getting ridiculous. According to PEN America, the surge in book bans over the last few years has targeted everything from Pulitzer Prize winners to picture books about penguins.
Ali Velshi, an MSNBC anchor known more for his deep dives into global economics and democracy, saw a pattern. He realized that the books being yanked off shelves almost always shared a common thread: they were about people who were Black, brown, queer, or just "different" in a way that made a small, loud minority uncomfortable.
The club works like this: Velshi takes a book that’s been challenged or pulled from a library and sits down with the author. They don't just talk about the "controversy." They actually talk about the writing.
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It’s kinda brilliant. By focusing on the literary merit, he proves that these aren’t "dangerous" manuals—they’re just human stories.
Why the "Banned" Label Still Matters
You might think, "Hey, I can just buy the book on Amazon, so is it really banned?"
That’s a fair point, but it misses the mark. When a book is removed from a public school library, it’s not about whether a wealthy kid can buy it. It’s about whether a kid who needs that story—maybe a kid who feels invisible or alone—can find it for free in a safe space.
Velshi emphasizes that "reading is resistance." When you read a book like "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison or "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, you’re engaging in a conversation that someone else tried to stop. That’s powerful stuff.
The Heavy Hitters: Books You Should Actually Read
The list of authors who have appeared on the Velshi Banned Book Club is like a "Who’s Who" of literary giants. We’re talking about people who have shaped how we think about the world.
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- Margaret Atwood: She’s basically the prophet of our times. When she talked to Velshi about The Handmaid’s Tale, it wasn't just about fiction. It was about how quickly a society can slide into authoritarianism.
- Nikole Hannah-Jones: The 1619 Project has been a massive target for politicians. Velshi gave her the space to explain why re-examining history is vital for a healthy democracy, not a threat to it.
- George M. Johnson: Their memoir-manifesto All Boys Aren't Blue is one of the most frequently banned books in the country. Seeing them discuss the "why" with Ali makes you realize how much fear is driving these bans.
- Art Spiegelman: Even Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, wasn’t safe. Imagine that. A book designed to teach the horrors of history being pulled because it has "nude" drawings of mice.
It’s Not Just About the Books
The show—and the podcast that grew out of it—is really an autopsy of American democracy. Velshi has this way of connecting the dots. He shows how a book ban in a small Florida county is linked to voting rights in Georgia or a court case in Texas.
It’s all part of the same puzzle.
He often brings in experts like Hannah Holland, the club's literary editor, to break down the cultural impact. They look at dystopian classics like George Orwell's 1984 or Lois Lowry's The Giver. These books are staples in schools for a reason: they teach kids how to spot a lie.
And maybe that’s the real reason they’re being banned.
The Real-World Impact
Is the club actually making a difference?
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Well, for one, it's boosting sales. There’s nothing like a "banned" sticker to make people want to read something. But more than that, it’s creating a community.
I’ve seen librarians use the Velshi Banned Book Club list to decide what to put on their "Recommended" shelves. I’ve seen parents use it to build a home library for their kids that reflects the real world, not just a sanitized version of it.
How to Actually Get Involved
If you’re tired of just reading about the bans and want to do something, the club is a great starting point. You don't need a formal invitation.
- Watch and Listen: The segments usually air on Velshi’s weekend show on MSNBC, but the podcast is where the long-form magic happens.
- The Reading List: Go find the official list. Don't just look at the titles—read them. Pick the one that makes you the most nervous. That’s usually the one you’ll learn the most from.
- Support Your Local Librarian: These people are on the front lines. A simple "thank you for keeping these books available" goes a long way.
- Show Up: School board meetings are where the bans happen. If only one side is showing up, they’re the ones who get heard.
The Velshi Banned Book Club isn't going anywhere. As long as there are people trying to quiet voices, Ali Velshi is going to be there with a microphone and a stack of paperbacks.
The next time you hear about a book being pulled from a shelf, don't just roll your eyes. Go find a copy. Read it. Then pass it to a friend. That’s how the club really works.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check the List: Browse the MSNBC website or the "Velshi Banned Book Club" podcast feed for the full archives.
- Buy Local: If you decide to read one of the featured titles, like The Kite Runner or Nineteen Minutes, try to get it from an independent bookstore or your local public library.
- Stay Informed: Follow organizations like PEN America or the American Library Association (ALA) to track where challenges are happening in your own state.
- Start Your Own: Use Velshi’s picks as a template for a local reading group. Discussion is the ultimate antidote to censorship.