(+++) A BIT OF A GIFT

Wise Words from Bookish Women. Harper by Design. $14.99.

     What exactly is that word “bookish” supposed to mean in this little gift-book-size hardcover volume, which is offered without author attribution (although the illustrator, Nicole Cicak, does get a credit)? If the word means the quoted women appear in a book, well, that’s pretty obvious, since this is a book. If, however, the word’s implication has anything to do with “book learning,” education, authorship or other intellectual things, then the title is misleading: this is merely a brief collection of mostly celebrity-originating comments, often from Americans even though the book was originally published in Australia.

     In fact, the emphasis on U.S. women’s comments is somewhat surprising: American politicians Hillary Clinton, Michele Obama, Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, none of whom is known to be particularly intellectual, appear here, as do U.S. media celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon. Their provenance, however, matters less than the quality of what they have to say – but much of what is quoted here is far from revelatory or inspiring. Still, the material appears intended to be inspirational. One of the better remarks comes from Amy Poehler (yet another American celebrity-type): “People who read are people who dream, and we connect through the stories we live and tell and read.” That is worth thinking about, and it even qualifies as a “bookish” thought – or certainly a book-related one.

     There are a few other gems, at least semi-precious ones, here, such as the comment by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: “If you sit and wait to feel like you are the most confident person in the room, you are probably going to be left by yourself.” That is especially interesting in light of Ardern’s own political career – but readers of this book need to know about that career already, and indeed need to know exactly who Ardern is, because the book does not explain who anyone quoted is and gives no background or otherwise relevant information on anybody. The underlying assumption is that readers are already quite familiar with Min Jin Lee, Ali Wong, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the other women quoted herein, so none of the women needs any introduction. But the notion that readers will in fact know all those who are included is at best a bit naïve.

     Maya Angelou, another American quoted in the book, offers one of the most-telling comments here: “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter defeats, so we can know who the hell we are.” In the complete absence of context for the remark, though, readers may find themselves puzzled even as they admire the way Angelou expresses herself. And in fact this is a misquotation, and a partial one at that: Angelou actually said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." Complete accuracy is not this book’s strong point.

     Still, former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel here offers thoughts well worth contemplating: “Fear has never been a good adviser, neither in our personal lives nor in our society. Cultures and societies that are shaped by fear will without doubt not get a grip on the future.” And another former leader, Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, has a comment that sheds considerable light on the well-known staunchness of her personality: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

     On the other hand, there are remarks in Wise Words from Bookish Women that are scarcely revelatory, to the point of being trite (even though obviously well-meant). For instance, Leigh Sales – one of the very few Australians in the book – says, “I’ve come to believe that amongst all the good human qualities, there is none greater than kindness.” And the longest quotation in the whole book comes from American rapper Lizzo; it says, in part, “Think about how you can make the world a better place in the real world.”

     It is really no surprise that Wise Words from Bookish Women is a mixed bag – collections of quotations inevitably are. But the selection of these specific women to quote, and these specific quotations to include, is somewhat on the odd side, and it is difficult to know for whom the book would really be appropriate as a gift. It contains a few substantive and interesting comments mixed with a good deal of blandness, from women who have little in common either intellectually or bookishly – whatever specific meaning may be attached to that word.