What is the essence of female friendships? Why do some grow richer with time, others disappear, and others come to a crashing, often unanticipated, end? Which are keepers that are definitely worth saving and which ones should be discarded?
In an effort to understand the nature and course of female friendships, I hope to survey and interview women of all ages, from all walks of life, to learn more about the nature of their friendships, why some succeed and others fail, and how women can use every friendship, whatever the outcome, to gain self-insight and grow.
Because of changes in technology and the evolving roles of women, our friendships are more dynamic than ever. Almost every woman has experienced a fractured friendship: either because she lost contact with someone who once was important to her; because she actively decided to step back from a friendship that was changing; because she was jilted by someone who no longer wanted contact with her, because she didn’t have time for the hassles, or because she and a friend mutually agreed that their relationship was no longer worth the effort.
Overlook Press and my editor, Juliet Grames, had the foresight to recognize the importance of these issues to women and decided to commission a book on this topic. Although I write primarily for magazine and newspapers, this seemed like a perfect match for my background and interests so I became i's author-to-be.
I hope you will join me on this journey by contributing your ideas and reactions to the entries on this blog and filling out the Fractured Friendships Survey. If the subject is of interest to you, please sign up for my periodic newsletter and mailing list---and tell your friends.
Sincerely,
Irene S. Levine, PhD
Freelance Journalist & Author
Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine