An instructive celebration of close, meaningful friendships.
An upbeat manifesto on the importance of friendship and the fundamental principles that make it thrive.
Horn, a psychology researcher and professor, contends that satisfying friendships are the cornerstone of a happy, healthy life—and yet, contemporary society “faces a pressing loneliness crisis.” In her first book, she shows readers how to “navigate the complex and sometimes murky waters of adult friendships.” The first chapter gives an overview of what the author calls “dynamic friendship”; i.e., close, meaningful relationships that create an exchange of positive energy. In each chapter, Horn explores fundamental friendship tenets: Recognizing (the different types of friendships), Communicating, Accepting, Blending (combining different friend groups), Safeguarding (building trust and loyalty), Reciprocating, Recalibrating (changing or ending friendships), and Self-friending. Each tenet comprises several basic principles. For example, Reciprocating includes “exchange time generously,” “tune in and truly listen,” and “express your gratitude,” among others. The author briefly describes each principle and prompts the reader to envision it and reflect on it. The guide concludes with a final recap and several pages of notes. Horn’s inspirational tone empowers readers to “reverse the trend of declining adult friendships.” Her writing is warm, vivid, and heartfelt: “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves, becoming increasingly precious as we age. They are our pillars of support, our sources of joy, and our lifelines in times of need.” While acknowledging that “the intricacies of adult friendships can be challenging,” Horn’s advice focuses more on the why than the how. She encourages the reader to connect “with an open heart, free from jealously or resentment”—an admirable sentiment that’s unfortunately much easier said than done. And while the need for friendship is universal, and the book advocates cultivating diverse friends, its frame of reference seems exclusively upper-middle-class American, replete with scenarios like spontaneous road trips, winery tours, high-paying jobs, yoga, and brunch. Ultimately, though, its message—“Be your own best friend, and let the magic of true friendship unfold in your life”—is timeless.
An instructive celebration of close, meaningful friendships.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9798891380950
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Amplify Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.
The former iCarly star reflects on her difficult childhood.
In her debut memoir, titled after her 2020 one-woman show, singer and actor McCurdy (b. 1992) reveals the raw details of what she describes as years of emotional abuse at the hands of her demanding, emotionally unstable stage mom, Debra. Born in Los Angeles, the author, along with three older brothers, grew up in a home controlled by her mother. When McCurdy was 3, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she initially survived, the disease’s recurrence would ultimately take her life when the author was 21. McCurdy candidly reconstructs those in-between years, showing how “my mom emotionally, mentally, and physically abused me in ways that will forever impact me.” Insistent on molding her only daughter into “Mommy’s little actress,” Debra shuffled her to auditions beginning at age 6. As she matured and starting booking acting gigs, McCurdy remained “desperate to impress Mom,” while Debra became increasingly obsessive about her daughter’s physical appearance. She tinted her daughter’s eyelashes, whitened her teeth, enforced a tightly monitored regimen of “calorie restriction,” and performed regular genital exams on her as a teenager. Eventually, the author grew understandably resentful and tried to distance herself from her mother. As a young celebrity, however, McCurdy became vulnerable to eating disorders, alcohol addiction, self-loathing, and unstable relationships. Throughout the book, she honestly portrays Debra’s cruel perfectionist personality and abusive behavior patterns, showing a woman who could get enraged by everything from crooked eyeliner to spilled milk. At the same time, McCurdy exhibits compassion for her deeply flawed mother. Late in the book, she shares a crushing secret her father revealed to her as an adult. While McCurdy didn’t emerge from her childhood unscathed, she’s managed to spin her harrowing experience into a sold-out stage act and achieve a form of catharsis that puts her mind, body, and acting career at peace.
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982185-82-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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