Ignorance is no armour

Last week was Banned Books Week. Read about it here. I was somewhat bemused (perhaps even proud) to discovere here that Sandman was the most contested graphic novel of the last year. Last year, Ellen Hopkins wrote a poem which made me shiver:

"Sticks and stones do break bones, and ignorance is no armour."

This is particularly pertinent when you consider that To Kill a Mockingbird was on the list of the 10 most challenged books this year. One of the reasons given was 'racism'. Excuse me?

Banned books week

Banned books week is in full swing in the States, and this poem by Ellen Hopkins has been adopted as its manifesto.

It's powerful stuff.

"Ideas are incombustible."