Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York

"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.

Whether you have city lights or starry skies in your eye, Good Apple will show you that:

• God pursues each of us, no matter our own inconsistencies or failures
• There's beauty in the gray areas of our lives
• We can all embrace the absurdity, chaos, and strange sacredness of life that brings us together

In this sharp and slyly profound memoir, Elizabeth upends stereotypes about Southerners, New Yorkers, and Christians, making a case that we are all flawed humans simply doing our best.

Praise for Good Apple:

"With sly humor, ecumenical warmth, and disarming frankness, Elizabeth Passarella builds bridges between red and blue and North and South. Good Apple makes a strong case for New York City as the kingdom of God--and for handwritten thank-you notes."

--Ada Calhoun, author of St. Marks Is Dead, Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give, and Why We Can't Sleep

Elizabeth Passarella is a contributing editor for Southern Living, where she writes the Social Graces column. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has written about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Coastal Living. Elizabeth was one of the first food writers hired at Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn, where she wrote daily posts and developed recipes. Her essay Passing and Repasting, about her grandmother's funeral, was included in Cornbread Nation 1: The Best of Southern Food Writing. She lives in New York City.