Velshi Banned Book Club: Laurie Halse Anderson and the coalition fighting book banning in the courts

>>> LAST WEEKEND, I WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET BUDGETS OF YOU FOR A LIVE, IN-PERSON MEETING OF THE VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB AT THE FIRST EVER MSNBC LIVE EVENT. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE WOULD DO THIS. UNFORTUNATELY, I GOT THE COVID AGAIN AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO JOIN MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN BROOKLYN. I WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU, I PROMISE. I KNOW SO MANY OF YOU CAME TO HEAR THE VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB. NOW THAT I AM BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER, I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD RESURRECT THE CONVERSATION I PLANNED TO HAVE WITH MY FAVORITE VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB OTHERS, LAURA HOLST ANDERSON. YOU WILL REMEMBER LORI FROM HER AWARD-WINNING BOOK, "SPEAK." IT IS A POIGNANT AND UNFLINCHING EXPLORATION OF THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF RAPE AND THE EMOTIONAL REPERCUSSIONS OF IT. IT GRAPPLES WITH ISOLATION, APPEARANCE VERSUS REALITY, AND THE APPEARANCE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO RECLAIM YOUR VOICE, YOUR POWER. DESPITE ITS ACCOLADES, ITS MASTERFUL AND GENERAL HANDLING OF SUCH A BRUTAL TOPIC, "SPEAK PLUS WHAT HAS BEEN FRUGALLY TARGETED FOR AN OR REMOVAL SINCE ITS INITIAL PUBLICATION IN 1999. IN 2010 ONCE, A PROFESSOR AT MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY SURMISED AN OP-ED ENTITLED QUOTE, FILTHY BOOKS TO DEMEAN EDUCATION THAT SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS SOFT PORNOGRAPHY, AND QUOTE. THAT IS ONE OF MANY EXAMPLES. "SPEAK PLUS WHAT HAS BECOME MORE THAN JUST A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL. IT IS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BOOK BANNING EPIDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY. ONE OF THE BOOKS QUOTED OUT OF CONTEXT IN SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, INCLUDED IN SWEEPING LISTS, REMOVED FROM SHELVES AGAIN AND AGAIN. LORI HAS BECOME MORE THAN JUST A BELOVED YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR, SHE IS RESISTANT, FIGHTING BACK, AND WORKING TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM TO READ AND WRITE IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY DAY. BOOK BANNING AND CENSORSHIP IS NO LONGER JUST AN ISSUE >>> TODAY'S MEETING OF THE VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY , A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN HOW WE NORMALLY DO IT. I AM JOINED BY AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS AWARD-WINNING BOOKS, INCLUDING THE FORMER VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB FEATURE, " SPEAK." MY APOLOGIES TO YOU, I KNOW YOU ARE READY TO GO AND WE HAD TO CANCEL LAST MINUTE AFTER I PUT THAT THING IN MY NOSE AND GOT SOME BAD NEWS. I AM GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO DO THIS AGAIN TODAY, BECAUSE YOU ARE, AS I SAID, MORE THAN AN AUTHOR OF IMPORTANT BOOKS, BUT YOU HAVE REALLY BECOME ONE OF THE FACES OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE BOOKS EXIST OUT THERE. LET'S START WITH THAT. YOU HAVE TALKED TO US BEFORE ABOUT YOUR BOOK, "SPEAK,", WHICH EXPLORES FINDING YOUR VOICE AND HEALING AFTER RAPE. HE WROTE A COMPANION TO IT CALLED, "SHOUT." A MEMOIR THAT ENCOUNTERS YOUR REAL EXPERIENCE WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT. TALK TO ME ABOUT MY ACCESS TO BOOKS LIKE YOURS ARE IMPORTANT. >> I APPRECIATE THAT AND I AM GLAD YOU ARE FEELING BETTER, ALI . COVID IS NO FUN FOR ANYONE. WE HAVE COME TO SUCH A BIZARRE PLACE IN OUR NATION, WHERE ANY CONVERSATION ABOUT HUMAN SEXUALITY, WHETHER THAT IS A NONFICTION BOOK FOR 11-YEAR- OLDS ABOUT THE CHANGES IN THEIR BODY THAT THEY GO THROUGH IN PURE BEAUTY, OR MY BOOK, A FICTIONAL ACCOUNT ABOUT THE AFTERMATH OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, SOMEHOW, THESE HAVE BECOME OFF- LIMITS. THE SAD FACT IS, SO MANY OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE. AND WE KNOW BECAUSE, PEOPLE HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH. IF WE DON'T TALK TO OUR KIDS IN A HEALTHY AND APPROPRIATE WAY ABOUT SEXUALITY, THEY GROW UP LEARNING FROM VIOLENT PORNOGRAPHY, OR NOT LEARNING AT ALL. THAT MAKES THEM VULNERABLE. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BOOKS. STORIES HELP US UNDERSTAND THE WORLD. FOR PARENTS WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT-- HOW DO I TALK TO MY KIDS ABOUT THE THINGS? STORIES ARE THERE TO HELP YOU. BOOKS ARE THERE TO HELP YOU. IN HIS INSTEAD, EXTREMISTS ON THE RIGHT WE ARE TRYING TO PUSH DANGEROUS IGNORANCE ON ALL OF US . >> RIGHT. THE ONE CATEGORY INTO WHICH ALL OF THINGS FALL, INCLUDING TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO YOUR BODY OR SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR PORNOGRAPHY, THEY ALL FALL UNDER TABOO. WE JUST DECIDE, WE ARE NOT TOUCHING TABOO, OR CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE EXPOSED TO IT. HOW DO YOU HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH PEOPLE THAT RAPE IS NOT PORNOGRAPHY? ACTUAL ASSAULT, WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU IS NOT PORNOGRAPHY, TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO YOUR BODY, SEXUALITY, GENDER IDENTITY, IT IS NOT PORNOGRAPHY, IT IS NOT FILTH, IT IS NOT OBSCENE. IT IS STUFF THAT HAPPENS PEOPLE AND WE HAVE TO SEPARATE IT FROM PORNOGRAPHY AND THE WAY WE TAKE ABOUT THESE THINGS. >> ABSOLUTELY. I DO KNOW THERE IS A LARGE GROUP OF AMERICANS OUT THERE WHO IF YOU HEAR, OH MY GOSH, THERE IS PORNOGRAPHY IN THE SCHOOLS, THEY GET UPSET. IF I THOUGHT THERE WAS ACTUALLY PORNOGRAPHY IN THE SCHOOLS, VIOLENCE, NOT WHAT CHILDREN SHOULD BE SEEING, I WOULD BE FIGHTING AGAINST THAT TOO, BUT THESE BOOKS ARE BEING MANIPULATED. THEY ARE BEING MANIPULATED BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT IF YOU CAN MAKE SOMEONE AFRAID, YOU CAN GET THEIR VOTE, AND YOU CAN GET THEM TO DONATE TO YOUR CAMPAIGNS. SO, INSTEAD OF HAVING RATIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES , WHERE SOME FAMILY MIGHT NOT WANT THEIR KIDS TO BE READING ABOUT SEXUAL VIOLENCE, OR RACISM , I CAN DISAGREE WITH THEM, BUT THEY HAVE TO CHOOSE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. THAT IS WHAT WE USED TO DO. WE WOULD LET EVERY FAMILY CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES. NOW, THIS SMALL GROUP OF EXTREMISTS, WANT TO COME IN AND DECIDE FOR EVERYONE'S CHILDREN. AND THAT IS WHEN WE GET DOWN TO IT BEING A FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUE. THAT IS WHY I AM PARTICIPATING IN THE LAWSUITS IN FLORIDA AND IN IOWA, BECAUSE I GUESS WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS IN COMMUNITIES ANYMORE, SO WE HAVE TO GO TO THE COURT. >> THE FLORIDA LAWSUIT INCLUDES YOU AND FIVE OTHER PROMINENT AUTHORS, FOUR OF WHOM HAVE BEEN FEATURED ON THE VELSHI BANNED BOOK CLUB , SIX STUDENTS, TWO PARENTS AGAINST FLORIDA EDUCATION STATE OFFICIALS TO PROTECT FREEDOM TO READ AND WRITE. THAT IS KIND OF REMARKABLE. THAT COLLECTIVE ACTION, IN ADDITION TO VOTING, GETTING OUT THERE REGISTERING TO VOTE THIS IS YOUR ONLY ISSUE YOU GET OUT THERE AND VOTE FOR ME ARE THESE COURT ACTIONS A GOOD WAY TO GET THOSE BOOK BANNERS A GOOD WAY TO ANSWER FOR THEIR ACTIONS? >> FAMILY, IT IS THE ONLY WAY. THAT IS NOT TRUE. ON A BROAD DEAL, THAT IS THE ONLY WAY. WE ARE SEEING AN AMERICA, SCHOOL DISTRICT BY SCHOOL DISTRICT, INCLUDING IN PENNSYLVANIA WHERE I LIVE, SCHOOL BOARD NUMBERS WHO KIND OF SNUCK ONTO A SCHOOL BOARD BY NOT BEING HONEST WITH THEIR VIGILANCE THAT THEY SUPPORT THE EXTREMIST RIGHT-WING VISION OF AMERICA THAT YOU SEE IN THE BOOK 2025, AND WE HAVE SEEN THOSE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS HAVE BEEN FOUND OUT AND PEOPLE HAVE VOTED, AND THEY HAVE VOTED THEM OUT OF OFFICE. THAT IS WHAT YOU CAN WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SCHOOL BOARD RACES WHEN IT COMES TO STATE LEGISLATION, HOWEVER, WE ARE TRYING TO TALK TO ALL THE DIFFERENT STATE POLITICIANS, BUT THE LAWSUITS ARE ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT WE NEED. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US. THANK YOU FOR PREPARING TO BE WITH US LAST WEEK. WE WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU AND TO ALL OF OUR VELSHI