Small Acts of Courage

A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy

By: Ali Velshi

Narrated by: Ali Velshi

This program is read by the author.

A captivating family history that illustrates how small actions can have an outsized political impact.

Small acts of courage matter. Sometimes, they change the world. Our history books are filled with the stories of those who fought for democracy and freedom—for idealism itself—against all odds, from Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. These iconic struggles for social change illustrate the importance of engagement and activism, and offer a template for the battles we are fighting today. But using the right words is often easier than taking action; action can be hard, and costly.

More than a century ago, MSNBC host Ali Velshi’s great-grandfather sent his seven-year-old son to live at Tolstoy Farm, Gandhi’s ashram in South Africa. This difficult decision would change the trajectory of his family history forever. From childhood, Velshi’s grandfather was imbued with an ethos of public service and social justice, and a belief in absolute equality among all people—ideals that his children carried forward as they escaped apartheid, emigrating to Kenya and ultimately Canada and the United States.

In Small Acts of Courage, Velshi taps into 125 years of family history to advocate for social justice as a living, breathing experience—a way of life more than an ideology. With rich detail and vivid prose, he relates the stories of regular people who made a lasting commitment to fight for change, even when success seemed impossible. This heartfelt exploration of how we can breathe new life into the principles of pluralistic democracy is an urgent call to action—for progress to be possible, we must all do whatever we can to make a difference.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Ali Velshi (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Ali Velshi is the soulful, smart, principled, passionate future of American TV journalism. His family’s story is astonishing and inspiring in equal measure—what a surprising and wonderful book!"—Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show and author of Prequel

“Velshi shares his noble inheritance, coming from a family of justice seekers and freedom fighters who endured British Colonialism, South African Apartheid, and discrimination, and who traversed continents to find safe harbor. He insightfully applies their ancestral lessons to our current challenges, writing in compelling, clear and incisive fashion about how to be responsible to the places we call home and the people with whom we share our planet.”—Imani Perry, National Book Award-winning author of South to America

“A book of wisdom and humility that offers a different sort of defense of democracy, grounded in one family’s lived experience on three continents, and informed by the lesson that freedom and responsibility work together.”—Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

Honesty and heartfelt opinions

Read just like he reports on MSNBC - very good listening that had me researching other events he mentions

Excellent

Wonderful story and Really well presented! Who knew?
I am mesmerized and learning a lot!
Who knew??

The inspiration for doing something

Beautiful story. Great book. Excellent job I can listen to it again. I will recommend it to my children

Outstanding history of India and Africa. Enjoyed Ali's personal history.

I am grateful that Ali bared his soul so that we might learn about his history And his family Legacy. Thank you so much Ali Velshi ...this is a beautiful book!
You are an amazing man and a talented author and journalist. I always look forward to watching you on MSNBC. Please keep up the good work

Great storytelling

I enjoyed listening to Ali’s story as an immigrant. His journey was an impactful one. Thank you for sharing.