Friendship First: From New Sparks to Chosen Family, How Our Friends Pave the Way for Lifelong Happiness

Lifestyle editor and writer Yankovich’s book begins in 2020, when the pandemic caused so many people to challenge dominant narratives about what it means to socialize in safe, sustainable, and supportive ways. Her book delves into everything from chosen families, to the power of showing up for the people who matter, to the use of language and its limits, as in her lovely description of the fallout she faced when telling a friend in elementary school she loved him. She explains how limited people often are in the words they use to describe friendships, and she references how systems reinforce these strictures by privileging heteronormative marital relationships over all other types of bonds. With personal narratives, stories from others, and insights gleaned from academic essays, Yankovich skillfully demonstrates how critical and complex friendship is.