MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn’t just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O’Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content.

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of the second season of the award-winning original series, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In the chart-topping second season, Rachel Maddow returns to uncover the shocking history of the ultra-right’s reach into American politics. Listen to the entire first episode now, and follow the show to get the whole series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpust_fdlw. You can also subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the Friday before it drops, and ad-free listening to all episodes of Ultra seasons one and two.

Is there a work of writing more influential than the Constitution of the United States? Is there a work of writing more weaponized, more debated, and more quoted and misquoted? On this special episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club we will provide crucial context and a complete reading of the sacred document so that you can decide for yourself. This is the agreement that laid the foundation for the heated exchange of ideas at the core of this podcast. While the Constitution has yet to be outright banned, Former President Trump has called for its “termination” – a brazen attack on the words that serve as the bones of this nation. The time to understand and evaluate this document is now.

Few authors have changed American culture more than the unparalleled Toni Morrison and the amazing Zora Neale Hurston. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club examines two crucial books in the Black literary canon: “Beloved” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Ivy league scholars Dr. Imani Perry and Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. look at celebrated work “Beloved”, a book that demands you look squarely in the face of not only the institution of slavery in this country, but its continued effect. Then, Dr. Perry and Ibram X. Kendi open the covers of “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, the story of a woman searching for dignity and agency. 

Debate guru Ron Klain joins Claire McCaskill and Jennifer Palmieri on their new podcast “How to Win 2024” to discuss the winners and losers of the 2nd GOP debate and what it could mean for President Biden’s re-election campaign. Plus, the House Republicans’ impeachment effort that voters want nothing to do with. Listen each week and click here to follow the show.

There is a persistent and damaging sexist trope that books written by women and for women are frivolous, light, and devoid of true meaning. On this episode of Velshi Banned Book Club Podcast we subvert that narrative with two powerful “chick-lit” books that have equally important messages: "Ready or Not" by Meg Cabot and “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. “Ready or Not” focuses on high schoolers grappling with the magnitude of sex and consent. “Speak” poignantly explores the immediate aftermath and emotional repercussions of sexual assault.