This was a song we sang in the playground as children. Stick and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me. The Power of Words by author Patricia Forde. Mother Tongue is available now from Amazon, Waterstones and good independent bookshops. Thank you Patricia for your time, and to Little Island Books for arranging this opportunity. I am delighted that author Patricia Forde has written a post about the power of words. Her strength comes from a rounded mix of qualities. Letta is contemplative, doubting of herself but firm in her resolve.

The dystopia of ten years ago featured lots of characters whose anger was shown as a strength. The result is a lack of social mobility and a society willing to support those who appear to have knowledge And adult education, which once enabled people to sit A-Levels through night classes, or attend university without getting into major debt, has been reduced to the bare minimum. Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell has highlighted statistics that show that children on free school meals are twice as likely to go to a school without a library. It shows a world where language education is purposely limited to all but a ruling minority. Mother Tongue picks up on the disparity in society between those who have access to books and writing and words in childhood, and those who don’t. We are now ten years on from The Hunger Games and it is important that young adult literature reflects the issues and discussions of the current day. This is high on my list of recent dystopia. Letta and her followers are fighting back by forming hedge schools, and passing words on to those children who are willing to risk their security to learn. It is her job to keep words safe and to pass them on to the next generation. People with fewer words are less able to argue back. The new dictator of the Ark – a society which exists in a world destroyed by Global Warming – wants to silence speech forever. Blog Tour: Mother Tongue by Patricia Forde.

Patricia forde the last word