Why is “1984” so important to read today? “Because patterns repeat … It becomes relevant over and over again,” says @veronicarothbooks.com, author of the “Divergent” series #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Why are children’s books so important? Co-author of the “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water” Renée Watson has the answer. “Reading is a form of listening” and listening to others’ stories is crucial #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

The great @stephenking.bsky.social has advice for every single member of the #VelshiBannedBookClub#Velshi “Run to the library or to the bookstore and find out what they don't want you to read.” #Velshi

You want to know what the king of horror thinks of humanity? @stephenking.bsky.social says, "You can call me a romantic if you want to, but I think that most people are inherently good, and they try to do their best.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...

What could be better than a #VelshiBannedBookClub meeting with the singular @egangoonsquad.bsky.social? A #VelshiBannedBookClub meeting on Gothic classic “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier *with* @egangoonsquad.bsky.social#VelshiBannedBookClub#VelshiBannedBookClub#VelshiVelshi 📚

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.” #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...

"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

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

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.

“This concept of progress, justice, and trust has been part of Black Americans’ history from the beginning,” says “This Is My America” author @kimjohnson.bsky.social. Where else can you find it? In Johnson’s book. #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

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.

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

I think it's really important for every kid to be able to see him or herself in books…that lets a kid know that ‘I'm not alone,’” says award-winning children's author Kevin Henkes. It's equally “important for kids to see kids who are not like themselves…to learn about empathy.” #VelshiBannedBookClub

“The scary thing about ‘Animal Farm’ is how relevant it remains in the exact same way,” says @teaobreht.bsky.social ,author of the foreword for the 75th anniversary edition of ‘Animal Farm’, “forces us to ask timeless questions of ourselves.” #VelshiBannedBookClub www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...

Talk about L is for LEAP. How “Pride Puppy!” - a children’s alphabet book - came to the center of a SCOTUS case w/ high stakes for access to books & education, involves "a pretty disturbing interpretation," says @robinstevenson.bsky.social. The "backlash is such evidence of need for these books."

@malindalo.bsky.social book ‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ has been targeted for bans across the country. “Many people get clues about who they are from reading books,” says Lo. “It’s important to remember that every teenage has their own experience behind them” #VelshiBannedBookClub

'We do have to find, in these years, a balance between protecting ourselves and protecting freedom of speech more widely,” says author and essayist Valeria Luiselli. “It's a fear we have to just swim against because otherwise it'll be a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. #VelshiBannedBookClub#Velshi#Velshi

@iamgmjohnson.bsky.social author of “All Boys Aren’t Blue” is prepared to fight for their book, books everywhere, & all readers. The banning & the commentary won’t stop them. “I am built with a different type of will & a different type of ancestor watching over me.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Publishers are joining in the fight against book banning. The CEO of Macmillan, Jon Yaged, says, “The battlefront is really everywhere there's a school, everywhere there's a library, every community. Someone's got to say something, & the publishers are starting to say something.” #Velshi

‘The Great Gatsby’ has been inspiring creatives for 100 years. Author Claire Anderson Wheeler (‘The Gatsby Gambit’) & playwright Martyna Majok (‘Gatsby: An American Myth') explain why it’s still “one of the most potent translations of the American mentality.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Why is reading important? Why is access to literature important? @jennyboylan.bsky.social, author of “Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs” has the answer: “An education is supposed to prepare you for the world.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...

A theme in “You Must Take Part in Revolution” by @melissakchan.bsky.social & @badiucao.bsky.social is freedom. “There's a toll,” says Chan, “you should stand up to authoritarianism, but each person decides how they will do so, & there is a concurrent cost to that.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Lawrence Wright spent years trying to get into his subjects’ heads. His latest work, “The Human Scale,” a novel set in the West Bank, allowed him to do just that. “No matter where the reader is coming from, he has to encounter the opposite and see the world through that perspective.” #Velshi

Sanders' Oligarchy Tour is drawing record crowds across America, with many feeling the economy is rigged against them. “It used to be the case that social mobility was the rule in America—today it’s basically a coin flip,” says Matthew Desmond. #Velshi

Dystopian YA novels are as beloved as they are often under attack. Why? “Young people have always, always, spoken out against injustice,” says ‘Internment’ author @samiraahmed.bsky.social, just like the 17-year-old protagonist in her book. #VelshiBannedBookClub#Velshi#Velshi

Ukrainians strive to secure their future & preserve their history. “The weight of history is really the motivating force for Ukrainians resisting today,” says author & journalist @yarotrof.bsky.social. “Ukrainians know they don’t have the luxury to cry right now. They need to keep resisting.”#Velshi

Much of Gone Girl is an exploration of appearance vs. reality. “I love the idea of who's in charge of a narrative, and I think that that is what we deal with every day of our lives,” says author @gillianflynn.bsky.social #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi

Two Idaho teenagers, a handful of authors, a tiny public library, and the nation’s largest publishers are suing the state of Idaho, pushing back against the state’s book ban that went into effect last summer. “We are the boots on the ground here in Idaho,” says 17-year-old Jerrick. #Velshi

Why does ‘The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963’ still resonate? It's a masterful exploration of trauma. Author Christopher Paul Curtis wanted to "show how young people try to deal with tragedies and see things in ways that we as adults don't see." #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Why is reading about people different from you so important? Manuel Muñoz, author of “The Consequences,” explains it in just a few words, “Once you hear a story, you can’t unhear it.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ “keeps generating new meanings” with each generation, says Prof. Bruce Robbins. Its characters are a “symbol of hope in the face of such adversity & such dehumanization,” says author Emily Danforth. #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi

‘Fahrenheit 451’ seemed like “fantasy” when author Lois Lowry read it at 17. Now, she finds it “chilling.” The often (and ironically) banned classic reveals to us “different ways you could have lived, different ways society could have gone,” says Yale’s Jason Stanley. #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

A central theme in Paula Hawkins’ smash-hit “The Girl on the Train” is observing the world around you. “I genuinely think one of the reasons this book resonated is because [we all watch people] and feel like we know them even though you don’t at all,” says Hawkins. #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi

Paula Hawkins’ 2015 thriller ‘The Girl on the Train’ captivated readers worldwide, exploring the complex but human experiences of trauma, addiction & the search for meaning. How did it resonate with you? Write into [email protected] & tune in Sat @11aET for the latest #VelshiBannedBookClub. #Velshi

“Books have the ability to change lives and save lives,” says @librarianjones.com. Facing backlash for speaking out against book bans inspired her book ‘That Librarian.’ “I want my students & I want everyone in my community to learn to be critical thinkers.” #Velshi #VelshiBannedBookClub

Why does “Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda” resonate so much with readers? Author Becky Albertalli says it’s because it’s real. “I tap into feelings that were present and defining when I was in middle school, high school, college, and even adulthood.” #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi