Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close

A close friendship is one of the most influential and important relationships a human life can contain. Anyone will tell you that But for all the rosy sentiments surrounding friendship, most people don't talk much about what it really takes to stay close for the long haul.

Now two friends, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, tell the story of their equally messy and life-affirming Big Friendship in this honest and hilarious book that chronicles their first decade in one another's lives. As the hosts of the hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend, they've become known for frank and intimate conversations. In this book, they bring that energy to their own friendship--its joys and its pitfalls.

Aminatou and Ann define Big Friendship as a strong, significant bond that transcends life phases, geographical locations, and emotional shifts. And they should know: the two have had moments of charmed bliss and deep frustration, of profound connection and gut-wrenching alienation. They have weathered life-threatening health scares, getting fired from their dream jobs, and one unfortunate Thanksgiving dinner eaten in a car in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. Through interviews with friends and experts, they have come to understand that their struggles are not unique. And that the most important part of a Big Friendship is making the decision to invest in one another again and again.

An inspiring and entertaining testament to the power of society's most underappreciated relationship, Big Friendship will invite you to think about how your own bonds are formed, challenged, and preserved. It is a call to value your friendships in all of their complexity. Actively choose them. And, sometimes, fight for them.

Author: Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 07/14/2020
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.70w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781982111908

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2020
Publishers Weekly 05/25/2020
Booklist 06/01/2020 pg. 4
Library Journal 07/01/2020 pg. 69
Shelf Awareness 07/14/2020

About the Author
Aminatou Sow is a writer, interviewer, and cultural commentator. She is a frequent public speaker whose talks and interviews lead to candid conversations about ambition, money, and power. Aminatou lives in Brooklyn.

Ann Friedman is a journalist, essayist, and media entrepreneur. She is a contributing editor to The Gentlewoman. Every Friday, she sends a popular email newsletter. Ann lives in Los Angeles.

Together, Aminatou and Ann host the long-running podcast Call Your Girlfriend. Big Friendship is both Aminatou and Ann's first book. Learn more at BigFriendship.com