43: ALI VELSHI: Banned Book Club

43: ALI VELSHI: Banned Book Club

Author: Jennifer Taub & Politicon LLC September 17, 2023 Duration: 1:02:25
Ali Velshi is Jen’s guest today. You know him as an anchor and business correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. His show Velshi appears every Saturday and Sunday from 10 - noon.  Ali is also the host of the podcast Velshi Banned Book Club. And, in keeping with the focus of Booked Up, Ali is a nonfiction author himself. He wrote Gimme My Money Back and co-authored  How to Speak Money. Plus he has several new books forthcoming. On September 25th, is the publication date for The Trump Indictments comes out with his preface, and then in spring of 2023, Ali’s book Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy Of Endurance And The Fight For Democracy is coming out.

Ali Velshi has covered a broad range of breaking news events and global affairs throughout his career, including US presidential elections, the global financial crisis of 2008, and recently on the ground in the war in Ukraine. 

An award-winning journalist, Ali Velshi has been honored with two National Headliner Awards. The first was for “How the Wheels Came Off,” a special on the near collapse of the American auto industry. And, recently last year for his coverage of Hurricane Ian. His work on disabled workers and Chicago’s red-light camera scandal in 2016 also earned him two News and Documentary Emmy Award nominations, adding to a nomination in 2010 for his terrorism coverage. 

Born in Kenya and raised in Canada, Ali graduated from Queen’s University in Canada, which awarded him an honorary doctorate of laws in 2016.


Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to: 

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Get More from Ali Velshi
Twitter| Velshi Banned Book Club Podcast | Website | Author of THE TRUMP INDICTMENTS

Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter| Money & Gossip  Substack | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY 

For anyone who’s ever finished a great book and immediately wanted to dissect it with a smart friend, Booked Up with Jen Taub is that conversation. Hosted by author and legal commentator Jennifer Taub, this podcast digs into the ideas, arguments, and narratives shaping our world, all through the lens of what we’re reading. It’s less a formal book review and more a lively, critical exploration. Episodes weave together themes from politics, culture, and current events, treating books as vital source material for understanding the bigger picture. You’ll hear Taub’s insightful commentary and analysis, often drawing connections between an author’s work and the real-world issues it illuminates. The discussion feels urgent and relevant, whether tackling a new release or a classic with renewed significance. Listening to this podcast is like joining a book club where the conversation is always sharp, informed, and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom. It’s for readers, thinkers, and anyone curious about the power of stories to explain our complicated present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Booked Up with Jen Taub
Podcast Episodes
8: Lauren Hough [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:35
Lauren Hough is the author of the New York Times bestseller, LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING, a collection of essays about growing up in the abusive Children of God cult, coming out in the military, and piecing a life to…
7: INVASION by Luke Harding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:16
Nearly a year into Russia’s Febuary 2022 invasion of Ukraine, journalist and author Luke Harding reflects on the people he met in the war zone while researching for his new book INVASION: THE INSIDE STORY OF RUSSIA’S BLO…
6: The Unfolding by A. M. Homes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:46
A.M Homes is an award-winning nonfiction author, novelist, short-storry writer, playwright, and librettist. This is the first time she and Jen speak together, having been introduced virtually by a mutual friend. In this…
5: Book Club: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:11
We kvetched, we laughed, we cried. Never-Trumper George Conway and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll puzzled over Jen’s selection for this month’s book, but were quickly won over by THE LIGHT WE CARRY after just a few pag…
4: The Shrink Next Door with Joe Nocera [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:14
Journalist and author of several books including indentured and All the Devils are Here, Joe Nocera talks with Jen about the crooked psychiatrist Isaac (“Ike”) Herschkopf and his guileless patients behind the Wondery Pod…
3: Michael Cohen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:47
Michael Cohen was the personal lawyer and fixer for Donald J. Trump for more than a decade. He is now a top-selling author and host of the popular Mea Culpa podcast which, as of our Booked Up interview, had 65 million do…
2: Dahlia Lithwick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:05
Dahlia Lithwick –– senior editor at Slate and author of the instant New York Times bestseller, LADY JUSTICE –– joined Jen for the inaugural episode of Booked Up. Fresh off her book tour, Dahlia shared her writing secrets…
1: Booked Up with Jen Taub - Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:02
Jen’s guests include writers of current bestsellers and beloved backlist books. Conversations cover love, money, politics, early dreams, writing habits, reading tastes, procrastination techniques, self-doubt, and news of…