“The Friendship Crisis” ($21.95, Rodale Press) began with a story that freelance writer Marla Paul wrote for the Tribune on how tough it can be for a grown woman to make friends. After the story ran, she was swamped with calls and letters and decided, as she writes in her book, that “I’d yanked the curtain off a shameful secret, only there is nothing shameful about it. A lot of women are lonely.”
Paul, who is married to a member of the Tribune’s editorial board, went on to write a column on women’s friendships for the WomanNews section. This book, based on interviews with hundreds of women, is a gift to any woman searching for friends. The author takes seriously the “secret” that we might crave the presence of other women in our lives–even if we have a man and/or kids.
Paul also offers page after page of tips for finding, cultivating and understanding women’s friendships. An at-home mom? Organize a ladies’ night out or join Mothers of Preschoolers International. New in town? Try meeting people at church, synagogue, the “Y” or a dog park; volunteer or try a memoir-writing class; or toughen your hide and chat with a stranger.
In a fight? “Make amends if necessary. If you were wrong, say, `I’m sorry’ (not the weaselly `I’m sorry you were hurt’).”