Sample
  • Small Acts of Courage

  • A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy
  • By: Ali Velshi
  • Narrated by: Ali Velshi
  • Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Small Acts of Courage

By: Ali Velshi
Narrated by: Ali Velshi
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
activate_WEBCRO358_DT_T2

Publisher's summary

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

What listeners say about Small Acts of Courage

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    78
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    76
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    73
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Honesty and heartfelt opinions

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant commentary on citizenship

Outstanding telling of the history of a fascinating family and the “why” of citizenship and civic engagement, all told from an exceptional storyteller and accomplished journalist.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

SO much great info about Ali Velshi

One of America's most-trusted broadcasters, this book shows you how Ali became that. He is now MSNBC'S most-valuable player and brings you great information wherever they send him. Great to learn so much more about him!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

L didn’t know

This is a history lesson and sharing of velshis life enjoying and so educational And thanks for sharing the beginning of your family

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read

What an amazing book. I truly enjoyed every minute of it. The narration, content, humor and history are beautifully intertwined. Congrats Ali

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring, Well-Told Story

I have appreciated Ali Velshi’s journalism, which is what caused me to choose his book. I now appreciate him even more. What an inspiring, thoughtful, well-written book! I’m so glad Ali read it himself because his wonderful voice is so authentic. I learned things about the histories of Indian people in South Africa, Kenya and Canada I didn’t know before, and Ali wove that history in with his family’s journeys to create a dynamic, hopeful story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

so so good

very satisfying and nourishing book. wonderful family stories with painstaking research behind it. earnest but also humorous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and Inspirational

I love to listen to Ali Velshi talk. Yes, he has a wonderful voice, but it is his intellect and insight that tends to make what he says an event of cognitive stimulation. In the history of his family’s migration he provides revelations about the history of conditions and attitudes that I really only had an inkling of. Caste systems and apartheid, bigotry and oppression, small minds and expressions of self-importance so outrageous they make the concept of a “bully” meek in comparison. I envy the richness of his family ties and, stressful though it often was, the meaningful experiences of their many journeys. I envy that he has garnered such insightful wealth from both the failures and wins of their lives. And I thank him for the inspiration of a most practical passion about viewing cultural differences as a bounty and not a threat. I’m sick to death of the small minds and self-serving attitudes of people with money and too much power working to foist their personal biases on everyone else. Thank you, Ali Velshi, for clarifying what I feel humanity should be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!