Friendship Development

With essays and anecdotes from some of the best contributors to O, The Oprah Magazine, this charming collection warms the heart and stirs the soul. Among the highlights: a frank, funny, and freewheeling conversation between two of the world's great BFFs, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King; Abigail Thomas on the ecstasy and agony of a first date; Elizabeth Strout on sharing the words that made her heart crack; Susanna Sonnenberg on reconnecting with her adored sister....

When Amy Daughters reconnected with her old pal Dana on Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Though the two women hadn’t had any contact in 30 years, it didn’t take them long to catch up—and when Amy learned that Dana’s son Parker was doing a second stint at St. Jude battling cancer, she was suddenly inspired to begin writing the pair weekly letters. When Parker died, Amy—not knowing what else to do—continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before.

“That’s when I had to admit the truth: I wasn’t fine.” We live in a world that masks all pain with “I’m fine,” but the truth? The truth is that we’ve said “I’m fine” so often, we’ve begun to believe it even when we’re in a space where it’s okay to not be fine. Social media has led us to believe that to be anything other than happy is to be less than standard. We portray the truth of our life as constant happiness; refusing to accept that life comes with pain. Truth Be Told is designed to be a companion guide through the times when life isn’t “fine.” ...

Temple Grandin is the most famous person with autism in the world. Whether you know her from the HBO movie Temple Grandin, her decades of work in the meat and cattle industry, or her unmatched contribution to the autism world, surely you know a thing or two about Temple. Well, prepare to meet a whole new side of her! Temple's close friend and author, Anita Lesko, conducts personal and unique interviews.

In stories of love and loss, of trauma and hope, told from care homes, living rooms, classrooms and kitchens, All the Lonely People is an intimate portrait of loneliness. Over countless cups of tea, psychologist Dr Sam Carr has collected hours of conversations with people young and old, including single parents, carers, teenagers and the bereaved, and found that while each of their stories is utterly unique, they are all born out of the same desire for human connection.

Best-selling author Karen Kingsbury delivers another inspiring book in her Treasury of Miracles series. Here, she focuses on the special bonds between friends, and the extraordinary true stories she shares are a testament that God is present in our everyday lives. With God's guidance, we see that good friends never let us down, and often appear just when they are needed most.

Concentrate on yourself, since most of the time, no one cares. You've just taken a significant stride forward in your life or accomplished an important goal, and you want to tell everyone you know about it. You're brimming with pride and happiness and want to share it with others. But have you ever paused to consider that small voice in your brain that questions if the beneficiaries of your wonderful news truly care? Sure, they're probably paying attention to what you're saying. They may even interrogate you. But, in the end, do they genuinely care about you and your life?

Sally O'Malley made a promise to her daddy before he died. She swore she'd look after her sister, Troo. Keep her safe. But like her Granny always said, actions speak louder than words. And Sally would have to agree with her.

Eres un animal. No te preocupes. ¡No tiene nada de malo reconocerlo! Por mucho que nos queramos resistir a aceptarlo, somos tan animales como el perro que se siente dueño de tu sillón o el gato que se duerme sobre el teclado de tu computadora. Sin embargo, algo nos distingue de todos ellos y nos convierte en, bueno, humanos. ¿Qué es eso que nos separa? Con letras certeras sobre la pérdida de la confianza en estos días, que nos condena a una vida tan hiperconectada como solitaria, Vico nos enseña que la amistad es importante, que compartir y sabernos parte de algo es vital.

Author A.J. Jacobs discovers that his coffee - and every other item in our lives - would not be possible without hundreds of people we usually take for granted: farmers, chemists, artists, presidents, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners, smugglers, and goatherds. By thanking these people face-to-face, Jacobs finds some much-needed brightness in his life. Gratitude does not come naturally to Jacobs, but he sets off on the journey on a dare from his son. And by the end, it’s clear to him that scientific research on gratitude is true. Gratitude’s benefits are legion.

In this wise and insightful audiobook, psychologist Michael Thompson, PhD, and children's book author Catherine O'Neill Grace illuminate the crucial and often hidden role that friendship plays in the lives of children from birth through adolescence. Best Friends, Worst Enemies brings to life the drama of childhood relationships, guiding parents to a deeper understanding of the motives and meanings of social behavior.

Sometimes our soul mates live down the street. Melissa finds hers when she opens the door for her new neighbor, Elizabeth. Over many years, their lives become intertwined as they support each other through pregnancy and motherhood, divorce, bereavement, and starting over. This is the story of finding a life partner under a different roof.

Acclaimed historian Stephen Ambrose begins his examination with a glance inward - he starts this book with his brothers, his first and forever friends, and the shared experiences that join them for a lifetime, overcoming distance and misunderstandings.

He next tells of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had a golden gift for friendship and who shared a perfect trust with his younger brother, Milton, in spite of their apparently unequal stations....

Social isolation can shatter our confidence. In isolating times, we're not only lonely, but we're ashamed of our loneliness because our society stigmatizes people who are alone without support. As a single, 58-year-old woman who finds herself stranded after major surgery, Val Walker has woven into the narrative her own story. A well-established rehabilitation counselor, she was too embarrassed to reveal on social media how utterly isolated she was by asking for someone to help, and it felt agonizingly awkward calling colleagues out of the blue.

We all know that gratitude is good for us - but the real magic comes when we express it. Writer Gina Hamadey learned this life-changing lesson firsthand when a case of burnout and too many hours on social media left her feeling depleted and disconnected. In this engaging book, she chronicles how 12 months spent writing 365 thank-you notes to strangers, neighbors, family members, and friends shifted her perspective.

In answer to the question of what happened following her New York Times best seller Kabul Beauty School, Deborah Rodriquez is back with a new memoir Irreverent, insightful, and blatantly honest, Deborah takes us along on her inspiring journey of self-discovery and renewal after she is forced to flee Afghanistan in 2007. She first lands in California, where she feels like a misfit teetering on the brink of sanity. Where was that fearless redhead who stared danger in the face back in Kabul?

These positive affirmations are excellent to hear before going to sleep, early in the morning, during a coffee break, at the beach, or whenever you need a daily dose of inspiration! When we hear these affirmations, we bombard our subconscious with powerful and positive statements that will automatically lead us to our goals. In essence, by listening to these affirmations over and over, we are actually reprogramming our mental computer to achieve more health, more wealth, more love, and more happiness right now!

Although Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee had been reading each other’s books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and, “God willing, strike sparks off each other.” Here and Now is the result of that proposal: the epistolary dialogue between two great writers who became great friends. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics....

Skip the small talk and learn how to build a supportive community, engage with new people, and cultivate authentic, long-lasting friendships at every stage of life. It sometimes seems like everyone has a big, happy, fulfilling social life, full of lifelong friendships...except you. As we grow older and school friendships fade, it can be difficult to meet new people and cultivate meaningful friendships. How do you strike up a conversation with a stranger? How do you move from mutual acquaintances to real friends?

It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them. Pen, Cat, and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat - the bewitching, charismatic center of their group - e-mails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can’t refuse.