Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman

3.85 AVERAGE

ellynmendy's review

5.0
I would like to give a shout out to BIG friend Kaylin for letting me read her copy as well as another BIG friend Alex for gifting to Kaylin. I’m lucky to have them both in my life. <3 A great read for everyone who wants to make their closest friends a priority - which honestly, should be everyone.
maggz20's profile picture

maggz20's review against another edition

1.0
fast-paced

smchampz's review

4.0
informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
angelintherye's profile picture

angelintherye's review

5.0
emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

mirpanda277's review

5.0
A must read! And a must-buy for all my friends.

need_to_read's review against another edition

5.0
emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

clairebartholomew549's review

3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It's an easy read, and Ann and Aminatou are likable, but I didn't find it particularly revolutionary or inspiring. Perhaps the idea that we should nurture our friendships the same way we nurture our romantic relationships or family ties is novel to some, but not to me - perhaps I've been lucky that I've always been surrounded by people who highly value friendship and put in the work to maintain the health of their friendship? A lot of the book felt fairly obvious and trite to me, and at times the moniker of Big Friendship grated on me because it seemed almost self-congratulatory and a bit smug. That's definitely ungracious of me, but I think I'm disappointed because I consider my friendships THE most important thing in my life, and as such I expected this book to really resonate with me. But it just fell flat to me at times.

I did appreciate Ann and Aminatou's frank conversations about how race factors in their friendship and how hard it is to salvage a friendship when space has opened up between you. There were certain insights that were lovely, but for the most part it was kind of a forgettable read.
christina_billhartz's profile picture

christina_billhartz's review

4.0
emotional informative reflective medium-paced

noninona's review

3.25
emotional informative reflective medium-paced
sunflower_lavender's profile picture

sunflower_lavender's review

3.0
It put words to things I was feeling about some of my friendships that I didn't have words for previously. It made me look inward at some of the friendships I have. I listened to the audio book and honestly it just felt like I was listening to a podcast. Good book