Accessible, detailed advice for building authentic friendships.
A manifesto of authentic female friendships to combat the loneliness epidemic.
After her divorce, Dugan (Date Like a Grownup, 2014, etc.) longed for human connection but knew that throwing herself straight back into dating would be a mistake. She sensed that she needed to meet people who would accept her for who she was and encourage her to make good decisions about her future. In that context, “female friendships trumped my hunt for love.” Like Bowling Alone (2000) and the works of Brené Brown, this book sensitively probes the cultural factors that lead to feelings of isolation while advocating for vulnerability and letting go of shame. Self-knowledge and nonjudgmental understanding of others are twin goals. Loneliness is not a personal failing, Dugan reassures readers, but a symptom of a life that needs to change. At certain points, many of us will find we have no one with whom to share deep thoughts or even everyday experiences, she notes, and while Facebook promises shallow affirmations, it doesn’t always represent real relationships. “Facebook friends are the new collectible you don’t have to dust,” she quips. In a digital world overloaded with information and choice, the author observes that social media allows us to hoard acquaintances but avoid commitment, such as through “maybe” responses to event invitations. The book proposes concrete tips for overcoming indecision and inertia—what she calls “limbo-living.” Such imaginative naming, like the “Hateful Heckler” for negative self-talk, makes up for a couple of jargon-ridden definitions (e.g., “Opportunity Clutter”). Headed sections, sets of questions to ask oneself, and lists of positive and negative character traits to look for in potential friends add up to a well-structured and user-friendly text. Dugan joins adult friendships to childhood experiences through a discussion of her earliest friendships and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Weekly get-togethers with her “Cabernet Coaches” are now invaluable to the author, but it took time and determination to build that friend group. Through her own story and psychological insights, she offers hope that even the loneliest readers can find community and connection.
Accessible, detailed advice for building authentic friendships.Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946664-57-0
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Headline Books, Inc.
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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