Jonathan Livingstone (he/him/his)
I have been with the Trust since August 2020, initially at St Bartholomew’s in a part-time role and now full-time Chaplain at the Royal London. As a Chaplain with a broad, liberal Christian spirituality I strive to offer emotional, psychological and spiritual support to anyone within our Trust be they a patient, staff member, relative or visitor.
Since July 2021, I have also been co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ staff network at RLH, MEH and CW. Our network exists to support the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, to provide a space for social events and networking, and to support (and challenge, when needed!) Barts Trust in promoting genuine inclusion, diversity and equality throughout our workplace.
Contact details:
#42070
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome - but that will define his life forever.
Jonathan says: "Hanya Yanagihara’s writing is both accessible and extremely evocative. Described as, “a devastating read that will leave your heart a few sizes larger”, it is a book about friendship, ambition, trauma, cruelty and love, and it had me both laughing out loud and sobbing."
Love’s Executioner - Irvin D. Yalom
In this engrossing book, Irvin Yalom gives detailed and deeply affecting accounts of his work with patients. Deep down, all of them were suffering from the basic human anxieties - isolation, fear of death or freedom, a sense of the meaninglessness of life - that none of us can escape completely. And yet, as the case histories make touchingly clear, it is only by facing such anxieties head on that we can hope to come to terms with them and develop. Throughout, Dr Jalom remains refreshingly frank about his own errors and prejudices; his book provides a rare glimpse into the consulting room of a master therapist.
Jonathan says: "I’m fascinated by what makes humanity tick and Love’s Executioner, written by this wonderful, insightful psychiatrist, is a series of short stories in which he gives an account of seven of his patients and the issues each of them face. It’s like being a fly on the wall in a therapist’s room – full of eccentricities and the most bizarre human traits!"
Learning to Fall - Philip Simmons
Philip Simmons was just thirty-five years old in 1993 when he learned that he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and was told he had less than five years to live. As a young husband and father, and at the start of a promising literary career, he suddenly had to learn the art of dying. Nine years later, he has succeeded, against the odds, in learning the art of living. Now, in this surprisingly joyous and spirit-renewing book, he chronicles his search for peace and his deepening relationship with the mystery of everyday life.
Jonathan says: "A beautifully written short book about searching for peace in an imperfect world and seeing mystery in everyday life. It’s infused with quotations from the literary greats and the author’s love of nature shines through".
Straight Jacket - Matthew Todd
Written by Matthew Todd, editor of Attitude, the UK's best-selling gay magazine, Straight Jacket is a revolutionary clarion call for gay men, the wider LGBT community, their friends and family. Part memoir, part ground-breaking polemic, it looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be – and if not, why not?
In an attempt to find the answers to this and many other difficult questions, Matthew Todd explores why statistics show a disproportionate number of gay people suffer from mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal thoughts and behaviour, and why significant numbers experience difficulty in sustaining meaningful relationships.
Jonathan says: "For many queer people, there was a lot of confusion, shame and self-doubt in our childhoods as we grew up trying to be what others expected of us rather than being our true selves. And this often leads to addictions, low self-esteem and self-sabotaging, damaging behaviours. This book was a life-changer for me – shedding a necessary light on much of my own history as a gay man".
To Paradise - Hanya Yanagihara
In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him – and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.
Jonathan says: "Published in January this year, I couldn’t wait to read Yanagihara’s third novel and it really did not disappoint. A beautiful novel dissecting what it is that makes us human: fear, love, shame, need, loneliness. She writes about human vulnerability so naturally. A delight!"
Still to read...
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth's novel is, at its core, a love story: the tale of Lata - and her mother's - attempts to find her a suitable husband, through love or through exacting maternal appraisal. At the same time, it is the story of India, newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis as a sixth of the world's population faces its first great general election and the chance to map its own destiny.
Jonathan says: "I love to travel and this novel is not only about family, love, politics and history but it’s a deep delve into wonderful India – a place I’ve not yet had the privilege to visit, but it’s at the top of my list. I started the book recently and I already can’t put it down".
Record:
"Choosing one record is so difficult – so many come to mind! I think I’d need to choose any music by Othon. He’s a Greek pianist & DJ based here in London who combines classical piano compositions with electronic/dance beats. I’ve discovered him just recently and I’m a big fan"!
Luxury Item:
"My luxury item would be my bed. You can’t beat a good night’s sleep in your own bed"!