The Long Song - Andrea Levy

In a fascinating 'writing of' section, the author explains that her intention in writing this book was to explore slavery as "a massive social system - a society in the true sense - that endured for three hundred years". In emphasising the "guile and humour" needed to survive, she creates realistic - strong yet flawed - characters, and succeeds in her aim of portraying slaves as more than "simply a mass of wretched voiceless victims"". This focus on complexities and contradictions is also applied to the white reformers, particularly the newly-arrived Englishman who is unapologetically delighted with his cleverness when he tells the slave July of his plan to marry the white mistress so that they can be together, and whose ideals give way to anger and cruelty when he fails in his attempts to persuade the freed slaves to work the same long hours as before. Most poignant for me was the way in which slave children were treated as property, with the casual removal of the child July from her mother to be a house servant echoed later in the way July's own child was taken away to England, and particularly the surprise and disbelief with which July's attachment to the master's child was met: "But what, Miss July, did you wan' keep that little pickney for your own?" The description of dances arranged so that coloured women could meet white men in the hope of "raising the colour" of their children was horribly plausible, both in the fine graduations of status from 'mulatto' to 'mustiphino', and in the demeaning entrance examination where lips, nose, hair and skin were assessed for negro characteristics. Finally, in keeping with this novel's refusal to tell a simple story, the desperate harshness of post-emancipation survival is also described. Despite the sometimes dark subject matter, this is an engaging and enjoyable book, with an often playful tone.

36 Arguments for the Existence of God - Rebecca Goldstein

This was one of those happy library finds that made me want to run out and buy the author's entire back-catalogue (or possibly just hide under the duvet and sulk because I'll never be as clever as she is). The very likeable hero Cass is uncertainly enjoying his new-found fame and success after publishing a best-selling psychology book in which he demolishes the '36 arguments' of the title while asserting that 'theistic propositions' like 'God exists' are confusing and irrelevant metaphors for the attitudes and emotions which form the true basis of religion: "what it feels like to hold a spiritual attitude to the world and live accordingly". A lively debate on this topic forms the climax to an entertaining story in which Cass is pitted against a range of characters ranging from the hyper-rational but heartless Lucinda, who believes that "most of what matters in life is a zero-sum game", to the increasingly delusional Professor Klapper, who considers Cass a Judas because he refused to write a dissertation on the Qabalistic significance of the potato kugel. For most of the novel I felt that the balance between the irrational and rational characters was not quite being held, as Klapper seemed by far the most ridiculous and destructive figure in the book, but the poignant heroism of the young Valdener Rabbi who gives up his potential future as a mathematical prodigy to return to his community is described with such warmth that I changed my mind on this at the novel's conclusion. As an entertaining bonus, 'Cass's' appendix containing the 36 arguments and their refutations is included in full as an appendix to the novel.

Advice for Strays - Justine Kilkerr

This powerful story initially presents itself as a rather charming fantasy about the return in adulthood of a young girl's unusual imaginary friend - a lion - but soon turns into something rather darker. As it gradually emerges that the child had reasons to need such a protector, the question begins to be raised - at what point does a necessary coping mechanism become unhelpful and destructive? The book manages to maintain psychological realism while dealing with wildly unrealistic content, as the lion's actions become harder to restrain, and is genuinely disturbing in places (how troubled do you have to be for your own imaginary friend to decide you are "asking for it"?), but manages to remain an enjoyable read for the most part. I loved the ending, as the gradual disconnection was described from both points of view, with the lion losing his memory as he fades away, and the girl waiting for him to return while deep down knowing that she needs him not to.

The Coward's Tale - Vanessa Gebbie

The clever narrative structure of this gentle collection of stories about a Welsh community's secrets in the aftermath of a mining disaster pulls the reader along - like the newly-arrived small boy who listens entranced to the old beggar's lyrical tales about the mysterious behaviour of the town's inhabitants, we find ourselves wondering what is truth, what is myth, and perhaps also how much it matters. An intriguing and engaging book with a surprisingly uplifting ending.

Homesick - Eshkol Nevo

This story about a young Israeli couple making an attempt to live together was an unusual reading experience, in that I seriously considered abandoning it half-way through, but persevered and was glad I did. With hindsight I think that reflects well on the skill of the author in managing to convey the loss and alienation felt in different ways by each of the multiple narrators so well that it almost pushed me away, before allowing most of them to experience some form of homecoming at the novel's conclusion. I felt that it was significant that most of the characters are able to achieve this because they were "homesick" for something they themselves had withdrawn from, whereas the only character who was still trapped at the end (literally, in an Israeli prison) was the Arab worker whose family had fled their home years before and were unable to return.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

This was one of those books that is utterly captivating but rather hard to describe, as it somehow manages to form a coherent whole out of strands of biography, memoir (as the author's research becomes part of the narrative), medical history, and ethical debate. The focal point for all of these aspects is the life and legacy of a young woman called Henrietta Lacks, who died of cancer in 1951, unknowingly leaving behind a sample of cells from the tumour on her cervix, which became 'HeLa' - "the world's first immortal human cells". I finally tracked it down after being given a strong recommendation for it months ago, and was very glad it did because it really got me thinking and kept popping up in conversation with everyone I spoke to for weeks afterwards. I was surprised to discover that informed consent is still not always required for cell research (e.g. in the UK "Consent is not required to use tissue obtained from living patients if the tissue is anonymous to the researcher and the project has research ethics approval"), and was in total sympathy when reading about the difficulties the Lacks family had in accepting what had happened - but intriguingly, when I mentioned the book to a friend currently doing scientific research, she appeared utterly bemused by the idea that anyone might object...

Affluenza - Oliver James

Oliver James defines "the Affluenza Virus" as "a set of values which increase our vulnerability to emotional distress", namely "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous". It's hard to argue with his basic argument that these increasingly ubiquitous values are unfulfilling and should be resisted, but I did sometimes find his writing style a little grating; is it totally ethical for a psychoanalyst to interview people for his book and then write about some of them in such a scathing way? Also, is it really necessary to come up with uncessesary and excessively capitalised jargon to turn a piece of intelligent analysis into a Big Idea? ("Virus", "Selfish Capitalism", "Having", "Being", and "Marketing Characters" were the ones I noticed, although the last few were apparently taken from the work of Erich Fromm so I suppose I can't blame James so much...)

"Virus values" are said to cause distress because they tend to lead us away from fulfilling our genuine needs, which he describes as follows:

"we need to feel secure, emotionally and materially; we need to feel part of a community, to give and receive from family, neighbours and friends; we need to feel competent, that we're not useless, are effective in chosen tasks; and we need to feel autonomous and authentic, masters of our destinies to some degree and not living behind masks."

"Selfish Capitalism", with its resultant inequalities, is seen as the underlying cause of the spread of the "Affluenza Virus" - James characterises this system as one in which: business success is judged almost exclusively on share prices; public utilities are kept in private hands; regulation of business and taxation of the rich are minimal; and excessive reliance is placed on consumption and market forces. Intriguingly, "Virus motives" are seen as more damaging than "Virus goals" - "provided the motive is intrinsic, like meeting basic material needs, supporting a family and self-efficacy, people were not made unhappy by wanting money.".

For future reference, here are the "vaccines" that James proposes that individuals should adopt against the "Affluenza Virus":

1. Have Positive Volition:
   This seems to mean taking a realistic view of yourself and your environment, taking responsibility for your choices - but not for situations outside of your control - and actively choosing to align your life with your values as far as possible.
   
2. Replace Virus Motives:
   Audit your motives and goals, and try to shift both work and play activities towards ones where the "intrinsic" motives of "interest, enjoyment and the stimulation of a challenge" are primary.
   
3. Be Beautiful:
   Try to develop a "personal, self-expressive" idea of beauty that isn't about cultural norms, appearing attractive to others, or seeking eternal youth...
   
4. Consume What You Need:
   Be grateful for what you have got ("an inside loo, a bath, a cooker, a fridge, central heating and utilities that work") and be sceptical about the advertising-induced temptation to work harder for more money for things you don't really need - particularly to pay a huge mortgage: "it is strongly advisable not to allow our self-esteem to be attached to how our home appears to others. If you allow that you happen, you are trapped on a treadmill you will be too scared to leave."
   
5. Meet Your Children's Needs:
   Try to meet your child's basic needs and give them "supportive (but not permissive, boundaryless) nurture", modelling your values but allowing the child to choose whether to adopt them. First you'll need to audit your own values and disentangle what really matters to you...
   
6. Educate Your Children:
   After a rather frightening account of "exam fever", anxiety and depression among high-achieving teenage girls, the advice is to encourage them (and rememeber ourselves) to engage with their authentic interests with curiousity and playfulness, and pursue education for its own sake rather than as a step onto the corporate ladder: "education has been hijacked by business. The goal is to create good little producers and consumers, whereas it should be an enquiring mind, capable of both scholarship and of a playful, self-determined and emotionally productive life."
   
7. Enjoy Motherhood:
   This repeated many of the themes of How Not to F*** Them Up, emphasizing the need to get off the property treadmill and value and enjoy motherhood rather than "regard[ing] only paid work as a source of self-esteem."
   
8. Be Authentic, Vivacious and Playful:
   "imagine that you have a fatal illness and are reviewing your life from that standpoint": opt out of celebrity-watching, sleep & relax more, build honest, emotionally intimate relationships, and play with small children! (I was initially confused by the distinction James makes between being "sincere" and "authentic" - but then I heard a radio news report about the "sincere" apology made by Rupert Murdoch to the family of a murdered schoolgirl whose phone had been hacked by an investigator working for his newspaper...)

There are some unsettling observations about the drawbacks of a meritocratic system in the section on education, particularly the growth of frustration and low self-esteem in a society where a competitive educational system is used to determine people's life chances. I'd be interested to read the satire he quotes from, "The Rise of the Meritocracy" by Michael Young (1958).