Good Apple

Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York

By: Elizabeth Passarella

Narrated by: Jill Blackwood

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

“For a woman who thinks of herself as a New Yorker at this point, I buy a lot of clothes from companies named things like Shrimp & Grits. Why? Because identity is complicated.”

Elizabeth Passarella is content with being complicated. She grew up in Memphis in a conservative Republican family with a Christian mom and a Jewish dad. Then she moved to New York, fell in love with the city - and, eventually, her husband - and changed. Sort of. While her politics have tilted to the left, she still puts her faith first - and argues that the two can go hand in hand, for what it’s worth.

In this sharp and slyly profound memoir, Elizabeth shares stories about everything from conceiving a baby in an unair-conditioned garage in Florida to finding a rat in her bedroom. She upends stereotypes about Southerners, New Yorkers, and Christians, making a case that we are all flawed humans simply doing our best. Good Apple is a hilarious, welcome celebration of the absurdity, chaos, and strange sacredness of life that brings us all together, whether we have city lights or starry skies in our eyes. More importantly, it’s about the God who pursues each of us, no matter our own inconsistencies or failures, and shows us the way back home.

©2021 Elizabeth Passarella (P)2020 Thomas Nelson

loved this book!

what a warm, entertaining and yet serious book. I totally enjoyed it and would recommend it heartily.

Loved it!

Real life
Fun times
Truth weaved in about life in Christ
Enjoyable read. Looking forward to the other book she has released.

Beautiful, Funny, and Hopeful

As a woman raised in conservative, Evangelical subculture, I found a lot I could relate to in Good Apple. Working through the process of finding my own voice and place in my faith that is different than my own upbringing, I found a lot of hope and joy in listening to the author’s experiences.

Charming and Fun Listen

A charming and interesting story about life as a fish out of water in NYC. While at times the narrative comes across as arrogant, just when you start to get frustrated the author self deprecates in a way that makes you want to have lunch with her. The musings on being a Christian AND a Democrat are particularly wonderful and smart.

My philosophical doppelgänger!!

I could not love this any more. As a southerner who moved “up north” - all the way to Saint Louis ;) - the cultural descriptions were spot on. And as an evangelical Christian who has lately often felt the need to repent for the Republican Party, I love Elizabeth’s honesty about her own angst. I feel ya sister!! Thanks for putting it in black and white.

Delightful

Passarella seems to acknowledge that all we can really do is give it our best-in our families, our relationship with God, our communities, and in our church. None of us are perfect and she is quick to point out her own flaws. Full of humor and insight, Passarella's stories are so honest and relatable. Time spent reading this book feels like an afternoon with a good friend.

Laugh out loud funny

I can’t tell you how many times I said out loud, “exactly!” Absolutely hilarious and even the more serious moments are 100% relatable. Bravo to a fellow Memphis girl.

Delightful

This book made me laugh and say “I know, right?!”often. She tackles tricky subjects with humor and thoughtfulness. I definitely enjoyed the ride and hope she’ll write another!

Like nails on a chalkboard.

I find the writer’s personality incredibly unlikeable, and the narrator (one and the same?) equally annoying. I called it quits at chpt 5.