if we don t, if ukraine falls, i think you can expect more of the same from other leaders. we have demonstrated that we are not serious enough about standing our ground. that business about expecting more from other leaders is important. autocracy around the world is not shrinking. ambassador, always a treat to see, thank you so much, marie yovanovitch form united states ambassador to ukraine during trump and obama administrations. the velshi banned book club s motorway, we re talking a two familiar faces, one of our first ever authors in the club, george m. johnson the author of all boys aren t blue. and ashley ho perez, the author of out of darkness. johnson and perez s book have been challenged again and again across the nation. they, along with p.e.n. america and penguin random house, took matters into their own hands, and filed federal lawsuit against the school district in florida. the last time perez was on, velshi banned book club, back in july of last year, i asked her about
getting a hand on the books, and unfortunately, we re seeing the bands intensify and be enabled by things like desantis s legislation. even though it s not supposed to apply to libraries. which should have even broader discretion for young people to read what they want. i hope that these interviews, this interview, and the ones i do with you last year, become archived somewhere and our antiques that we all look back and say, what was this band book nonsense? but for the moment, we re in, and i appreciate both being in it. it s going to see about again, thank you for being with me, george m. johnson is the author of all boys aren t blue, and ashley hope perez is the author of out of darkness. that does it for me, thank you for watching, we ll be back here tomorrow morning, 10 am, to noon eastern, do not forget velshi is available as a podcast, subscribe and listen for free, wherever you get your podcast, it s not the same as the tv, show in the podcast i wear that vest. stay where we
been a little while since we featured those two books on the velshi banned book club, so i will remind you, all boys aren t blue, is a more comprised of a series of personal essays following johnson s life from childhood to adulthood. both a celebration and a hard look at the realities of what it means to be black and queer in america. out of darkness is fiction, with an historical backdrop. a story of first love between a black boy in a mexican american girl. out of darkness explores scenes of family dynamics, racism, abuse and sexual assault. the books are very different. riding styles, authors, genres. yet, both books grapple with the shattering realities of sexual assault, the searing pain of racism, the complicated feelings of discovering who you love, targeted again and again and again for their equally stark looks at these painfully real topics. our model here at the velshi banned book club s reading as resistance. opening the pages of johnson and perez his books, studying the w
involved in the suit. you will definitely recognize. them george m. johnson, author of all boys aren t blue. and ashley perez, author of out of darkness. we feature both of them on the velshi banned book club. calls to get rid of their books have only intensified since then. johnson sums up why. it s simple, my book tells the truth. my book tells the truth about the black experience. it tells the truth about the queer experience and it tells the truth about the black spirit queer experience. spirit queer experience. i love what i m seeing here. that s some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin better. one prilosec otc each morning blocks heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc reduces excess acid for 24 hours, blocking heartburn before it starts. one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn.
one of them. this county, specifically in florida, more broadly, has become a national symbol for ultraconservative efforts to ban books. florida state in a state level approach to literary censorship, this past year alone, the governor ron desantis has passed three laws aimed at limiting educational material, including access to books. the laws in their guidelines are insidiously vague, with potential for serious repercussions for educators who violate them, including up to five years in prison. florida and it struck one and state laws are not just a sign of dark days to come, they are a sign of dark days. they re already here. members of the velshi banned book club will recognize many of the titles on their list of books targeted by the county school district. they are traditional classics, contemporary masterpieces, books that have contributed to the very fabric of this society in our country, including two that would featured on the velshi banned book club. all boys aren t blue, by