Patricia Rind - Womens Best Friendships: Beyond Betty, Veronica, Thelma, and Louise

Explore the distinct relationships of close female friends!
Womens Best Friendships: Beyond Betty, Veronica, Thelma, and Louise gives new and comprehensive insight into the complex world of womens closest friendships. Recent studies have shown that women place enormous value on best friendships and consider them to be woven tightly into the fabric of their lives. Using in-depth interviews, along with close readings of relevant literature and theory, this book focuses on the many facets of these relationships.
With heartfelt first-person accounts and insightful commentary from the author, this book examines three intertwining themes: feelings of competition, issues of dependence and independence, and knowing/understanding. This book sheds light on areas of tension among women, especially difficulties in communication, frustration about not being entirely let into a friends life and thought processes, and the feeling that one friend may value the friendship more than the other. It also discusses womens struggles to maintain closeness over increased distances and the realization that ones friends are flawed, even as friends. This informative book, grounded in established research and theory, presents stories of real friendships--told by the people who live them. These women talk candidly about what makes a best friend, about navigating the choppy waters of friendship, and much more: Somehow, when we started living farther apart there were ways in which we were being insensitive. We recognized that there was a really strong bond, but we were taking it for granted. So we talked about how close we feel to one another and perhaps how that leads to some arguments or hurt feelings. --Liz, on how distance has affected her relationship with her best friend Susan
Em and I dont fight at all. I dont know if thats good or bad. I dont think I do well with fights. I think thats probably a lot of conflict avoidance on my part. And I think it does lead to some distance, even though its a best friendship. I think Im uncomfortable asserting myself. And so its easier not to have to do that. So maybe my inability to deal with the problems keeps the friendship at a distance, where its safe and comfortable for me, in that one respect. --Linda, about her desire to avoid any confrontation with Emily, her best friend
Womens Best Friendships: Beyond Betty, Veronica, Thelma, and Louise is a fresh and exciting look at the inner workings of relationships between women. Drawing upon a multitude of issues and insights, this book is a must-have for womens studies classes.