RaveThe Washington PostThe same wit and chatty style of the podcast infuse the book. A hybrid of memoir, cultural criticism and advice, Big Friendship describes experiences that are common in deep friendships but rarely acknowledged ... dappled with novel terms and concepts for common tensions in friendships. The terms would have been useful for Friedman and Sow to have had when their friendship was sputtering ... What most distinguishes this book from other recent writing on friendship is Friedman and Sow’s keen analysis of how politics figures into the practice of friendship ... friendship is a \'real-deal insurance policy\' ... Big Friendship is the guide we need to make that investment.
Briallen Hopper
PositiveNPRRousing ... Hopper is contributing to a growing body of recent writing (Text Me When You Get Home, The Friendship Cure) and pop culture storylines (Broad City, Insecure) that underscore the depth and significance of female friendships. But Hopper\'s book feels distinct from and, in some ways, more daring than these ... The strength of her culture essays vary.
Kayleen Schaefer
PositiveNPRThe book's stories bring to life the ways the waning dominance of heterosexual marriage can leave space for a heartier form of friendship among women, relationships that fulfill many needs once thought to be the domain of husbands ... Though Schaefer's interview subjects aren't all of a hetero, lily-white set, urban professionals — especially writers — are overrepresented. She therefore misses out on stories that could illuminate what friendships look like in a state of economic insecurity, when friends might take on support roles we normally peg to families ... She includes a wide range of historical and cultural sources, but this would have been a stronger book had those choices been matched in scope by her interviews. Even with this oversight, Text Me still offers a sharp analysis of female friendship.
