Velshi Banned Book Club: 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell - Velshi - MSNBC

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When the animals on Manor Farm overthrow the farmer who lords over them, they dream of a utopia built on an inclusive mission: all animals are equal. But power is corrupting, and soon an autocratic pig seizes control and imposes a new creed on the farm: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

That is the premise of today’s Velshi Banned Book Club feature, one of the most salient political satires ever written: “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Orwell’s masterful command of language, his dynamic and complex anthropomorphic characters, and well-paced plot are precision instruments used to sharply warn its reader of the corrupting influence of power, the danger of blind obedience, and the cyclical nature of politics.

As Téa Obreht, author of the foreword for the 75th anniversary edition of “Animal Farm”, says, “The book is a warning in the clearest possible way, through animal fable, that [authoritarianism] can happen everywhere.” - Aired on 06/07/2025.