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Imagine A Country: Ideas for a Better Future
The first step on the road to change is to imagine possibility.
Imagine A Country offers visions of a new future from an astonishing array of Scottish voices, from comedians to economists, writers to musicians. Edited, curated and introduced by bestselling author Val McDermid and geographer Jo Sharp, it is a collection of ideas, dreams and ambitions, aiming to inspire change, hope and imagination.
Ali Smith, Phill Jupitus, A.L. Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Kerry Hudson, Greg Hemphill, Carol Ann Duffy, Chris Brookmyre, Alison Watt, Alasdair Gray, Leila Aboulela, Ian Rankin, Selina Hales, Sanjeev Kohli, Jackie Kay, Damian Barr, Elaine C. Smith, Abir Mukherjee, Anne Glover, Alan Bissett, Louise Welsh, Jo Clifford, Ricky Ross, Trishna Singh, Cameron McNeish, Alexander McCall Smith, Carla Jenkins, Don Paterson, and many more . . .
Imagine A Country offers visions of a new future from an astonishing array of Scottish voices, from comedians to economists, writers to musicians. Edited, curated and introduced by bestselling author Val McDermid and geographer Jo Sharp, it is a collection of ideas, dreams and ambitions, aiming to inspire change, hope and imagination.
Ali Smith, Phill Jupitus, A.L. Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Kerry Hudson, Greg Hemphill, Carol Ann Duffy, Chris Brookmyre, Alison Watt, Alasdair Gray, Leila Aboulela, Ian Rankin, Selina Hales, Sanjeev Kohli, Jackie Kay, Damian Barr, Elaine C. Smith, Abir Mukherjee, Anne Glover, Alan Bissett, Louise Welsh, Jo Clifford, Ricky Ross, Trishna Singh, Cameron McNeish, Alexander McCall Smith, Carla Jenkins, Don Paterson, and many more . . .
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 19, 2020
29 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
About the author
Val McDermid
310 books5,379 followersVal McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 27, 2021
I have a lot of thoughts as to why this book wasn't for me, so I'm going to try and explain them as best as I can.
First of all, I think this book oversold and underdelivered. The blurb describes it as "visions of a new future from an astonishing array of Scottish voices, from comedians to economists, writers to musicians". The book consists of 97 mini-essays, mostly 2-3 pages long, from different people about what they would like Scotland to look like in the future. When I first heard about this book, I was excited by it. I'm interested in Scottish politics and I thought this would be a good book to expose me to different ideas for the future of Scotland and the even challenge the way I view my own country.
If we're going to discuss the future of Scotland from an array of Scottish voices, I want to hear from teachers, from doctors, from homeless people, from cleaners, from bus drivers, from tradespeople, from people on benefits, from people who have been to prison, from people who work in prison, from teen parents, from university professors, from people who don't think university if for them, from sexual health clinic workers, from domestic abuse survivors, from immigrants, from migrants, from scientists, from accountants, from supermarket workers etc etc.
However, the vast majority of the people who contributed to this book are writers/artists (I imagine because of their connections to the editors) and so this book is really a middle class, arts centred look to the future of Scotland and not the diverse perspective that the blurb would suggest this book has.
Some of the chapters were very, very good but ultimately they got lost in the absolute boatload of very samey vague descriptions of a future with more funding for arts and no poverty. Which are two things I think would be great in a future Scotland, but there are so many other things to consider. Because it was so samey, I did not feel motivated to pick up this book as keep reading it. I enjoyed the first 50 or so pages, but I was bored by page 100 and the book is 260 pages long...
Some things I think would have made this book a bit better:
- I think had it been shorter, and some of the more similar essays removed, it would have been much more readable.
-Alternatively, had the chapters been separated by topic rather than listed alphabetically by author's surname, then the few essays that weren't about the arts wouldn't have gotten so lost amongst everything else.
-It really needed something to wrap it up at the end. There's an intro, but the book just ends with the last perspective. But because they're organised by the author's last name, it's not necessarily the most interesting or thought-provoking essay, so it feels like a rather anticlimactic. By the time I got to the end of the book I was thinking 'right thank god I've finished' rather than really reflecting on the points raised by the authors.
Overall, I really liked the concept of this book, but think that it fell flat.
First of all, I think this book oversold and underdelivered. The blurb describes it as "visions of a new future from an astonishing array of Scottish voices, from comedians to economists, writers to musicians". The book consists of 97 mini-essays, mostly 2-3 pages long, from different people about what they would like Scotland to look like in the future. When I first heard about this book, I was excited by it. I'm interested in Scottish politics and I thought this would be a good book to expose me to different ideas for the future of Scotland and the even challenge the way I view my own country.
If we're going to discuss the future of Scotland from an array of Scottish voices, I want to hear from teachers, from doctors, from homeless people, from cleaners, from bus drivers, from tradespeople, from people on benefits, from people who have been to prison, from people who work in prison, from teen parents, from university professors, from people who don't think university if for them, from sexual health clinic workers, from domestic abuse survivors, from immigrants, from migrants, from scientists, from accountants, from supermarket workers etc etc.
However, the vast majority of the people who contributed to this book are writers/artists (I imagine because of their connections to the editors) and so this book is really a middle class, arts centred look to the future of Scotland and not the diverse perspective that the blurb would suggest this book has.
Some of the chapters were very, very good but ultimately they got lost in the absolute boatload of very samey vague descriptions of a future with more funding for arts and no poverty. Which are two things I think would be great in a future Scotland, but there are so many other things to consider. Because it was so samey, I did not feel motivated to pick up this book as keep reading it. I enjoyed the first 50 or so pages, but I was bored by page 100 and the book is 260 pages long...
Some things I think would have made this book a bit better:
- I think had it been shorter, and some of the more similar essays removed, it would have been much more readable.
-Alternatively, had the chapters been separated by topic rather than listed alphabetically by author's surname, then the few essays that weren't about the arts wouldn't have gotten so lost amongst everything else.
-It really needed something to wrap it up at the end. There's an intro, but the book just ends with the last perspective. But because they're organised by the author's last name, it's not necessarily the most interesting or thought-provoking essay, so it feels like a rather anticlimactic. By the time I got to the end of the book I was thinking 'right thank god I've finished' rather than really reflecting on the points raised by the authors.
Overall, I really liked the concept of this book, but think that it fell flat.
November 19, 2020
Inspirational, aspirational and heartwarming essays on how to create a better Scotland. Especially relevant and resonant this year. I've allowed myself 2-3 essays a week during Lockdown and relished the time it's given me to consider the approaches. Everyone in Scotland, who strives to consider a more compassionate, equal and caring future should read this .
December 12, 2020
I've been rationing reading these short essays to 1 or 2 a day, to really reflect on the ideas and thoughts contained within.
Yes, there is some repetition, but that is to be expected from the people asked and the issues tackled.
This is a book of ideas, and book of honesty of current issues, but filled with hope that we can do something differently in the future.
Yes, there is some repetition, but that is to be expected from the people asked and the issues tackled.
This is a book of ideas, and book of honesty of current issues, but filled with hope that we can do something differently in the future.
December 6, 2025
HARDBACK EDITION!
I really enjoyed this varied and thought provoking collection of essays, by a wide-range of authors, artists, musicians, actors and other people who get asked to contribute to such books. Most are really good value, and we only get a handful of stinkers, notably the tokenistic effort from Ian Rankin - a page long list of childish platitudes, which read like a lazier version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, which seemed pointless and disappointing.
“If I lied to my patients the way politicians routinely lie to the electorate I would be struck off the medical register.”
Also some of the arty related ones were also a bit of a cop out in their efforts. But thankfully almost everyone else appears to have actually made an effort and put something of value or worth into it, which was good to see and I think it was really interesting to see the themes which kept popping up time and time again, and how little the vast majority of politicians are interested in ever addressing them.
“Imagine a country where the politicians who also make life-or-death decisions are held to the ethical standards in the same way (as nurses)…Should a journalist who has deliberately misled readers, or views, continue to practice their profession?”
“Why don’t the people of Scotland own the land? Why is neither of our two national parks owned by the state? That’s almost unheard of in the international community of national parks. And in the national park where I live about a quarter of the homes are reckoned to be second homes.”
“There isn’t even a register to tell us who owns what! Scotland’s thriving green energy industry-wind, waves, tidal and hydro – doesn’t make local communities more prosperous, but turns millionaire landowners into multi-millionaire landowners.”
I really enjoyed this varied and thought provoking collection of essays, by a wide-range of authors, artists, musicians, actors and other people who get asked to contribute to such books. Most are really good value, and we only get a handful of stinkers, notably the tokenistic effort from Ian Rankin - a page long list of childish platitudes, which read like a lazier version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, which seemed pointless and disappointing.
“If I lied to my patients the way politicians routinely lie to the electorate I would be struck off the medical register.”
Also some of the arty related ones were also a bit of a cop out in their efforts. But thankfully almost everyone else appears to have actually made an effort and put something of value or worth into it, which was good to see and I think it was really interesting to see the themes which kept popping up time and time again, and how little the vast majority of politicians are interested in ever addressing them.
“Imagine a country where the politicians who also make life-or-death decisions are held to the ethical standards in the same way (as nurses)…Should a journalist who has deliberately misled readers, or views, continue to practice their profession?”
“Why don’t the people of Scotland own the land? Why is neither of our two national parks owned by the state? That’s almost unheard of in the international community of national parks. And in the national park where I live about a quarter of the homes are reckoned to be second homes.”
“There isn’t even a register to tell us who owns what! Scotland’s thriving green energy industry-wind, waves, tidal and hydro – doesn’t make local communities more prosperous, but turns millionaire landowners into multi-millionaire landowners.”
April 4, 2020
A wonderfully warm book full of ideas - you don't have to agree with them all, but reading them allows us to see other points of view, maybe adjust our thinking - compromise a little and all of this
without rancor or blood shed.
without rancor or blood shed.
February 16, 2021
Loved this book, its a collection of short prose pieces or illustrations where various people are asked to imagine a better future for Scotland, designed to be full of hope and away from Politician's rhetoric. It's a book to dip in and out of, to pick up when you've got time and read a few more. Some people wrote poems, some drew pictures, most wrote prose in various forms as different and reflective of them as people as well their various points of view. Really interesting read in the light of the background talk of the 'union' and independence, especially Damian Barr's plea for being taught history of Scotland not England. This book is a lovely celebration of Scottish culture both past, present and future.
December 28, 2024
As with any collection of writings from a wide range of authors some of these pieces were much better than others but on the whole it was all thought provoking and interesting, even some of these pieces ones I disagreed with.
September 8, 2023
This book did everything it promised! It made me emotional, changed my perspective on a number of topics and now I really want to live in Scotland!! This collection sat on my bedside table and was picked up intermittently to revise a couple essays at a time. Overall an intriguing and innovative idea and a must have book
July 14, 2020
Hmm. I'm really not sure what to make of this. It's a book of short essays, poems and other artistic pieces from a number of significant Scots, asking them to imagine the future, and what they want from Scotland. The book showed up on my radar as it was a (somewhat crass) gift from my obsessively nationalist mother-in-law to my somewhat apolitical daughter on her 18th birthday. I had an argument with said mother-in-law about her obvious political motivation for sending it, especially because she knows my politics. I'm English, and although I've lived in Scotland a decade and can't see myself returning to England anytime soon, I'm proud of and fond of my roots, and I'm not in favour of Scottish independence. The rest of my family aren't hugely keen on the idea either - my wife spent seventeen years living in London, and that's where we met. My kids are half-English, half-Scottish and identify as British, and to complicate matters, I have enough Irish ancestry to qualify me for a passport. I am therefore quite internationalist in outlook, and I have very little time for the excesses of Scottish nationalism.
Whilst this book is not specifically nationalist in its outlook, and the contributors have varied opinions on the independence question, I couldn't help, while reading it, to view it through a rather unpleasant lens. While they were all talking of the wonders of the sort of Scotland they'd like to see in the future, the subtext seemed to be "and we'd achieve it, too, if it wasn't for the bastard English". I know that's not really meant at all, but it does feel like it.
As for the essays etc themselves, some of them were quite good and quite thought-provoking, but some of them, to be honest, were utterly dreadful and cluelessly naive. A lot seems to be written from the kind of liberal-left, middle-class-intellectual point of view that has an extremely patronising view of the underclass and how their problems might be solved, and it seems like they'd rather eliminate the less palatable parts of Scottish society and culture. Let's face it - sometimes people are their own worst enemies, and however much you throw money at problems, however good the welfare system is, however amazing the education system, however cultured we are, a lot of people are still going to be obnoxious dicks, and I didn't see many practical solutions for that.
OK-ish in parts, but generally a frustrating and extremely patchy book, with a completely random set of ideas that doesn't add up to a coherent whole at all. It puts far too much faith in politicians to solve stuff, and some of the proposals in it are gruesomely authoritarian in nature. It does very little to address the enormous elephant in the room, which is that the bloody SNP will still keep getting elected, despite them being bloody useless, and still keep demanding another bloody referendum, because there's only one bloody political issue in Scotland that seems to matter.
Put a lid on toxic nationalism, and we'll talk.
Whilst this book is not specifically nationalist in its outlook, and the contributors have varied opinions on the independence question, I couldn't help, while reading it, to view it through a rather unpleasant lens. While they were all talking of the wonders of the sort of Scotland they'd like to see in the future, the subtext seemed to be "and we'd achieve it, too, if it wasn't for the bastard English". I know that's not really meant at all, but it does feel like it.
As for the essays etc themselves, some of them were quite good and quite thought-provoking, but some of them, to be honest, were utterly dreadful and cluelessly naive. A lot seems to be written from the kind of liberal-left, middle-class-intellectual point of view that has an extremely patronising view of the underclass and how their problems might be solved, and it seems like they'd rather eliminate the less palatable parts of Scottish society and culture. Let's face it - sometimes people are their own worst enemies, and however much you throw money at problems, however good the welfare system is, however amazing the education system, however cultured we are, a lot of people are still going to be obnoxious dicks, and I didn't see many practical solutions for that.
OK-ish in parts, but generally a frustrating and extremely patchy book, with a completely random set of ideas that doesn't add up to a coherent whole at all. It puts far too much faith in politicians to solve stuff, and some of the proposals in it are gruesomely authoritarian in nature. It does very little to address the enormous elephant in the room, which is that the bloody SNP will still keep getting elected, despite them being bloody useless, and still keep demanding another bloody referendum, because there's only one bloody political issue in Scotland that seems to matter.
Put a lid on toxic nationalism, and we'll talk.
April 30, 2020
An optimistic anthology of how a country could look - perfect reading for lockdown!
I didn't agree with every contributor (it would be a very boring country if we all agreed!) but 2 ideas came up regularly and are worthy of note. Land reform is ESSENTIAL for a fairer, more ecologically sound country. ALL children should have access to FREE musical tuition from the youngest age to engage their innate creativity.
I would love to see a follow-up to this book with contributors from a wider range of backgrounds - creative ideas flourish everywhere.
I was delighted to find that every MSP has access to a copy of this book - I hope they read it and take notes.
I didn't agree with every contributor (it would be a very boring country if we all agreed!) but 2 ideas came up regularly and are worthy of note. Land reform is ESSENTIAL for a fairer, more ecologically sound country. ALL children should have access to FREE musical tuition from the youngest age to engage their innate creativity.
I would love to see a follow-up to this book with contributors from a wider range of backgrounds - creative ideas flourish everywhere.
I was delighted to find that every MSP has access to a copy of this book - I hope they read it and take notes.
December 31, 2020
My favourites:
Damian Barr
Tressa Burke
David Hayman
Richard Holloway
Jackie Kay
Mariot Leslie
Carey Lunan (!)
Horse McDonald
Ian Rankin
Ricky Ross
Elaine C. Smith
Ashley Storrie
Louise Welsh
Damian Barr
Tressa Burke
David Hayman
Richard Holloway
Jackie Kay
Mariot Leslie
Carey Lunan (!)
Horse McDonald
Ian Rankin
Ricky Ross
Elaine C. Smith
Ashley Storrie
Louise Welsh
November 14, 2021
This was a pretty nice idea of bringing together a group of voices, over the course of 3-4 page essays, to talk about their vision for a (post-independence?) future Scotland. I seem to remember the intro suggesting I'd find a lot here to disagree with, which really didn't turn out to be the case. Ok, there was the occasional Boomer-ish essay about how we all just need to put down our mobile phones and get off the internet (maybe they're not wrong, but what an unoriginal idea) but mostly these were all good suggestions. It's not by any means a deep dive into policy or sociological issues, but it could definitely be a springboard for deeper discussions.
I liked the variety of ways in which the contributors chose to respond to the prompt, mainly through writing but also some via pictures, poetry, and one that was just a picture of an unfolded blank sheet of A4 paper (though the meaning of that one was lost on me tbh).
I would have liked some more diversity in thought here. There were some really good essays - ones about alleviating our country's health issues, poverty, and homelessness. Protecting the environment, tackling capitalism, fighting for racial and gender equality. But, with so many creative-types being asked to contribute, there were also a lot of essays which essentially boiled down to getting more kids in school involved in theatre... And it's not that I'm opposed to that, although as an introvert it isn't top of my list for creating a better society, not by a long shot. It's just that after reading the sixth or seventh essay to the same effect I really wished they'd branched out a bit more when choosing contributors, picked more people with different priorities and life experiences.
I liked the variety of ways in which the contributors chose to respond to the prompt, mainly through writing but also some via pictures, poetry, and one that was just a picture of an unfolded blank sheet of A4 paper (though the meaning of that one was lost on me tbh).
I would have liked some more diversity in thought here. There were some really good essays - ones about alleviating our country's health issues, poverty, and homelessness. Protecting the environment, tackling capitalism, fighting for racial and gender equality. But, with so many creative-types being asked to contribute, there were also a lot of essays which essentially boiled down to getting more kids in school involved in theatre... And it's not that I'm opposed to that, although as an introvert it isn't top of my list for creating a better society, not by a long shot. It's just that after reading the sixth or seventh essay to the same effect I really wished they'd branched out a bit more when choosing contributors, picked more people with different priorities and life experiences.
June 9, 2020
A fascinating read filled to the brim with great ideas, well stated. These are terrific aspirations which feature the issues of our time- education, homelessness, inequality (especially ownership of Scotland’s land by so few), ecology, climate change. The fact that the same ideas crop up time and again (planting trees and creativity being just two) is both positive and reflects the relative narrowness of the contributors, most of them coming from the arts - poets, novelists, musicians, playwrights. If I were to be critical I’d ask why sport is so unrepresented and why there is not more tension in the contributions? It does suggest this may be restricted to the right-on people. And why no one who brings an explicitly religious take on the future? Surely if the land we long for truly does listen to everyone and respects everyone we need a broader view that includes people of faith explicitly?
May 30, 2020
About 100 people, from or of Scotland, offer up a short piece, maximum 800 words, to "imagine a country". Thankfully everyone decides to imagine a better country, and the short nature of the essays makes it easy to pick up the book and read through a few at a time. they are arranged alphabetically, so it has a happy randomness to the juxtaposition of voices - Pat Kane then Jackie Kay, Peter Ross and Ricky Ross. the majority of the contributors being from an arts background does lead to a similarity in many visions, but some people come up with their own ideas (I liked Mark Cousins's Land of the Trees). What I would have enjoyed was some more alternative perspectives, like Lisa Smith's much more heartfelt desires from her experiences of homelessness. Not a book of solutions, but a book of suggestions.
June 5, 2021
There's a good deal of wistful yearning here, as well as dreaminess – nothing wrong with either – but it does suggest how far Scotland has to go to build a new and just society. The format dictates everything; essays are very short, so easy to get through for the reader but harder for the writer to develop ideas. There's a sprinkling of poetry, of artwork and even music. Some of these are very much the products of those trying to to beat the drum for their own particular issue, like homelessness or musical education. Some of them are very general.
May 27, 2020
I like the premise of the book and support most of the ideas put forward. As a result of the limited diversity of the contributors, many of the ideas are similar and can feel repetitive. The lack of diversity also means that while many of the contributors imagine an inclusive Scotland, the ideas presented and language used in the book are not always inclusive.
April 14, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, many great, wonderful and creative ideas about Scotland's bright future. Although I might not have agreed with them all, it was great to read a whole range of ideas about Scotland heading in on direction.
October 21, 2022
a bit lacking. Some really excellent essays, but quite a lot of platitudes, and a decent amount of repetitiveness after the first half or so. I can barely remember any good ideas (except for renaming Scotland into Biiiig Whisky which is class)
April 18, 2020
Great idea for a book - some uplifting visions. Was disappointed with the limited cross section of contributors.
Read
January 17, 2021A bit of the old Scottish Nationalist stuff.... a little wearisome after a while
February 7, 2021
LOVED this book and has got me thinking a lot.
February 14, 2021
Really enjoyed this. Some contributions were really interesting ideas.
January 22, 2022
🏴🏴🏴SCOTLAND FOREVERRRR🏴🏴🏴
December 22, 2024
A thoughtful practice we all need to do more than ever.
December 29, 2024
My husband and I read this to each other over the course of the year. It's nice to dream.
July 4, 2023
In your ideal place, your utopia… what would matter? What would you change for the better?
These are the questions answered by Scottish citizens in this brilliant anthology collated by @quineofcrime and @profjosharp . Each essay, poem, drawing, story etc made me think beyond my own imaginings and reality… seeing ideas and thoughts from the writers point of view.
Don’t get me wrong there were more than a few I didn’t agree with… but that’s the point! This isn’t a book from one side of the political divide… and in fact no politicians have a voice (phew!), it’s a book from a diverse bunch of people each with their own priorities and insights to add. I’ve found myself thinking about what I would add… and about the issues I know are faced by our working class rural areas that weren’t mentioned too often, if at all.
I really enjoyed sifting through what each person has to say, laughing at times and others being deeply moved by someones experience or thoughts. I would absolutely love to see another volume from now to see if anyone’s opinions have changed or to hear from other voices… maybe those who haven’t yet been represented in the first volume. We are an ever growing and diverse nation and I think Imagine A Country highlights that… and gives us hope! 🏴
Ps… it also isn’t a book about the independence debate…. If that’s putting you off. It’s about so much more!
These are the questions answered by Scottish citizens in this brilliant anthology collated by @quineofcrime and @profjosharp . Each essay, poem, drawing, story etc made me think beyond my own imaginings and reality… seeing ideas and thoughts from the writers point of view.
Don’t get me wrong there were more than a few I didn’t agree with… but that’s the point! This isn’t a book from one side of the political divide… and in fact no politicians have a voice (phew!), it’s a book from a diverse bunch of people each with their own priorities and insights to add. I’ve found myself thinking about what I would add… and about the issues I know are faced by our working class rural areas that weren’t mentioned too often, if at all.
I really enjoyed sifting through what each person has to say, laughing at times and others being deeply moved by someones experience or thoughts. I would absolutely love to see another volume from now to see if anyone’s opinions have changed or to hear from other voices… maybe those who haven’t yet been represented in the first volume. We are an ever growing and diverse nation and I think Imagine A Country highlights that… and gives us hope! 🏴
Ps… it also isn’t a book about the independence debate…. If that’s putting you off. It’s about so much more!
December 9, 2022
I really enjoyed this series of short essays and while I didn't agree with all the proposals it was interesting to have the space to imagine
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews