Velshi Banned Book Club: Revisiting 'All Boys Aren't Blue' by George M. Johnson - Velshi - MSNBC

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“All Boys Aren’t Blue” hit two major milestones this month. One is an anniversary: the novel turned five years old. Five remarkable years of inspiring writers, creating empathy, and giving readers that safe place to land. The other is grimmer. According to the American Library Association, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” was the single most banned work of literature in America last year. It isn’t an honor. It isn’t a selling mechanism. It is a tragedy.

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” has become more than just a power story or a beautiful work of literature – it’s become a symbol, representative of free speech, of access to literature, and of resistance. In five years, Johnson has become one of the most important voices in the fight against censorship. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” has gone from a remarkable debut memoir to one of the most critical works of literature in the contemporary American canon. The sort of book that imparts a different lesson onto you every single time you reread it. “There are days that are heavier than others,” says Johnson, “but it’s the messages I get from so many people that have been saved by the texts.” The attacks and band “could have stopped me from writing…But it didn’t.” - Aired on 05/03/2025.