Apples of Gold
Petty, Jo. 2000. Apples of Gold. C.R. Gibson Company.
Rating:
1
Summary:
The book is a collection of quotes on a variety of subjects, ranging from happiness to faith. I believe there is a small quote from the author introducing each chapter, but it isn’t set apart in any way that would make me certain of that assertion. Also, none of the quotes are referenced. The author begins the book with the stipulation that she thanks the people who said these things but doesn’t know from where they have all come. I recognized a few of the more common ones (the serenity prayer is included) and believe they can be traced back to the original sources, so I’m inclined to see this as a copout for actually doing the legwork to include references.
Review:
I do have to admit there are a few decent quotes, like the following:
“Your friend has a friend, and your friend’s friend has a friend: be discreet.” (p. 14)
“When a man has a ‘pet peeve’ it’s remarkable how often he pets it.” (p. 27)
“The world is slowly learning that because two men think differently neither need be wicked.” (p. 56)
“The steam that blows the whistle can’t be used to turn the wheels.” (p. 76)
There are a few more good quotes, but these are mixed in with some well-known sayings and a bunch of rather average and uninteresting thoughts.
But there are also a lot of absolutely terrible thoughts, most involving religious belief. For instance, the author includes the thought, “Conscience is God’s presence in man” (p. 14). Anyone critical of deism would recognize a conscience for what it is, man’s internal dialogue.
Another religious thought I found to be very scary was the following, “The real democratic American ideal is not that every man shall be on level with every other, but that every man shall have liberty, without hindrance, to be what God made him” (p. 27). Of course, what the author is failing to consider is that this would advocate the religious freedom of right-wing Christian terrorists and Muslim extremists, both of whom are fine with killing people to get their way. Some additional examples of the included ridiculous thoughts are in the quote section below (along with my comments).
There are also several thoughts advocating traditional gender roles and patriarchy. But I think the worst thought included in the book is a combined commentary on religion and education, “I thoroughly believe in a university education for both men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a knowledge of the Bible” (p. 76). Where would we be today if all we had was the Bible? In my not so humble opinion, I doubt we ever would have left the dark ages.
Overall, while there are a few interesting thoughts included in the book, there are far more thoughts advocating religious belief and ignorance. I don’t think I would recommend the book because of its advocacy of religion and ignorance, but also because there are now a number of websites that include far more quotes with both greater variety and references to original sources. The gold that makes up these apples is over-priced.
