Not a Brit, but from my time spent in London the appropriate integration test would be “Given that you are sharing a space with a stranger, would the death of the universe arrive before you made eye contact with them?” Happy to be corrected :-)
Many years ago I taught a two day seminar in London that had several international students. In addition to Brits, there were people from Sweden, Spain and Italy. None of the people knew each other before the class.
It was hilarious watching them on breaks. The Brits and northern Europeans were prim and proper in their seats, never saying a word. The Spaniards & Italians were cracking jokes, gossiping and generally making a party of the whole affair.
Had a look back at the Guardian review and ouch! Very much a two footed tackle from behind. I wonder if they had been waiting in the long grass to write this one? (No doubt you have been on their naughty list for some time). Still, if I were you, I would wear the badge of “bandwagon-jumping ambient philistine” with (if not at) pride.
I've seen Helen's byline on a (very entertaining) savage book review followed by the line "Name of book] is available for £17.99 from the Guardian bookshop" etc - I'm sure she can cope.
Oh, having overheard a couple of Guardianistas discussing Hayley Freeman I’ve no doubt there are at least a few people there keen to go after Helen for her terrible wrongthink. At least since the Supreme Court decision they have to at least pretend they’re attacking her ideas, rather than her morals.
The Guardian review is petty, spiteful and indicative of the decline in the quality of its contributors. If you weren’t familiar with Helen Lewis and her work, this review would make you want to seek it out. And I hope people do
Haven’t yet read your book - but The Guardian review was so obviously petulant, and someone with an axe to grind it was easy to disregard and made me want to read the book more 😏
Negative reviews don't always have a negative effect.
I remember getting a stinker of a review on a book proposal, that was so comprehensively and imaginatively negative, without being very specific about what was so terribly wrong, that the commissioning editor (I later gathered) extracted it with tongs and laid it gently aside. And as a journal editor I occasionally got peer reviews that were so poisonous that the only conclusion was that they were stinking with personal animus, ripely enough that they were also filed appropriately and (grr) an alternate referee searched for.
If you want to torpedo something, say nice things about it. Just not many.
Helen, this is kind of off topic, and you're probably tired of thinking about genius by now, but...
In recent Yascha Mounk podcast interview with Peter Hessler, he explained how different China's college exam (the Gaokao) is from the western SAT-style IQ test.
It's an exam that you really do have to study for, not a test of raw brain power. As such, it selects for diligence as much as smarts. It makes me think the US at least would be better off if we moved more toward this approach to college admission.
The trouble with that is then it selects for class (ie people who grow up in homes where they have space to study, parents who push them do it, maybe even hire them tutors etc etc). The point of IQ tests and SATs is supposed to be about finding potential rather than polish. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages.
Yes and no. If you listen to the interview, Hessler taught in a remote region of China in the 90s and again during the pandemic. The students in the nineties grew up in grinding poverty with illiterate parents.
Edit: a variation on this is some state schools now automatically admit students who finish in the top 10% of their class. This has transformed places like the University of Georgia.
Where's the best place to leave a book review? Because the excellent weight of energy in this tome needs to be punched high. The fine line of (self-) declared ego to narcissism and perpetuated myths was excellently defined and brought up many questions around how we perceive abusive behaviours depending on who perpetrates them... Please keep flaring your spotlight on the knotty areas of life...in all arenas...
I have published a piece about your book today in a celebratory fashion. My ex-husband, a writer, once flatteringly referred to me as helpful for a lay person’s point of view on his work.
So don’t worry about the critics, the lay people like it.
Not a Brit, but from my time spent in London the appropriate integration test would be “Given that you are sharing a space with a stranger, would the death of the universe arrive before you made eye contact with them?” Happy to be corrected :-)
Many years ago I taught a two day seminar in London that had several international students. In addition to Brits, there were people from Sweden, Spain and Italy. None of the people knew each other before the class.
It was hilarious watching them on breaks. The Brits and northern Europeans were prim and proper in their seats, never saying a word. The Spaniards & Italians were cracking jokes, gossiping and generally making a party of the whole affair.
Had a look back at the Guardian review and ouch! Very much a two footed tackle from behind. I wonder if they had been waiting in the long grass to write this one? (No doubt you have been on their naughty list for some time). Still, if I were you, I would wear the badge of “bandwagon-jumping ambient philistine” with (if not at) pride.
I do have a sneaking suspicion the same thesis presented by a more politically palatable author would have received an extremely different appraisal!
I've seen Helen's byline on a (very entertaining) savage book review followed by the line "Name of book] is available for £17.99 from the Guardian bookshop" etc - I'm sure she can cope.
There is a gap in the market for “bandwagon-jumping ambient philistine” badges.
Oh, having overheard a couple of Guardianistas discussing Hayley Freeman I’ve no doubt there are at least a few people there keen to go after Helen for her terrible wrongthink. At least since the Supreme Court decision they have to at least pretend they’re attacking her ideas, rather than her morals.
What did they say?
Thanks Helen. That was a nice surprise.
The Guardian review is petty, spiteful and indicative of the decline in the quality of its contributors. If you weren’t familiar with Helen Lewis and her work, this review would make you want to seek it out. And I hope people do
The Guardian review came across as petulance from someone who wants to be thought of as a genius. I had to look up who it was. Christ.
No link to the singing in the rain dance?
Haven’t yet read your book - but The Guardian review was so obviously petulant, and someone with an axe to grind it was easy to disregard and made me want to read the book more 😏
There’s also a New Yorker review, though naturally it isn’t evident unless you do the most incredibly atomic search because it’s not listed under “Books”. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/23/the-genius-myth-helen-lewis-book-review
Hi Helen - I went to your event at the Conway Hall. Loved it. I think you should use Ian Dury Clever Bastards as your walk on music https://youtu.be/PPvRsLWlDXw?si=WgKwaPxFKI580AMa
Negative reviews don't always have a negative effect.
I remember getting a stinker of a review on a book proposal, that was so comprehensively and imaginatively negative, without being very specific about what was so terribly wrong, that the commissioning editor (I later gathered) extracted it with tongs and laid it gently aside. And as a journal editor I occasionally got peer reviews that were so poisonous that the only conclusion was that they were stinking with personal animus, ripely enough that they were also filed appropriately and (grr) an alternate referee searched for.
If you want to torpedo something, say nice things about it. Just not many.
Helen, this is kind of off topic, and you're probably tired of thinking about genius by now, but...
In recent Yascha Mounk podcast interview with Peter Hessler, he explained how different China's college exam (the Gaokao) is from the western SAT-style IQ test.
It's an exam that you really do have to study for, not a test of raw brain power. As such, it selects for diligence as much as smarts. It makes me think the US at least would be better off if we moved more toward this approach to college admission.
The trouble with that is then it selects for class (ie people who grow up in homes where they have space to study, parents who push them do it, maybe even hire them tutors etc etc). The point of IQ tests and SATs is supposed to be about finding potential rather than polish. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages.
Yes and no. If you listen to the interview, Hessler taught in a remote region of China in the 90s and again during the pandemic. The students in the nineties grew up in grinding poverty with illiterate parents.
Edit: a variation on this is some state schools now automatically admit students who finish in the top 10% of their class. This has transformed places like the University of Georgia.
That Zadie Smith piece on dancing/writing is sublime. Thanks.
Where's the best place to leave a book review? Because the excellent weight of energy in this tome needs to be punched high. The fine line of (self-) declared ego to narcissism and perpetuated myths was excellently defined and brought up many questions around how we perceive abusive behaviours depending on who perpetrates them... Please keep flaring your spotlight on the knotty areas of life...in all arenas...
The two places that really help, I think, are Amazon and Goodreads.
If I were Helen, I would take considerable solace from my harshest critic having one of the most ridiculous names ever bestowed on a living person.
I have published a piece about your book today in a celebratory fashion. My ex-husband, a writer, once flatteringly referred to me as helpful for a lay person’s point of view on his work.
So don’t worry about the critics, the lay people like it.
"Thou shalt not diss the James Joyce."
Thanks for the gift link! Much appreciated.