Big Friendship

How We Keep Each Other Close

By: Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman

Narrated by: Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman

A close friendship is one of the most influential and important relationships a human life can contain. Anyone will tell you that! But for all the rosy sentiments surrounding friendship, most people don’t talk much about what it really takes to stay close for the long haul.

Now two friends, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, tell the story of their equally messy and life-affirming Big Friendship in this honest and hilarious book that chronicles their first decade in one another’s lives. As the hosts of the hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend, they’ve become known for frank and intimate conversations. In this book, they bring that energy to their own friendship—its joys and its pitfalls.

Aminatou and Ann define Big Friendship as a strong, significant bond that transcends life phases, geographical locations, and emotional shifts. And they should know: the two have had moments of charmed bliss and deep frustration, of profound connection and gut-wrenching alienation. They have weathered life-threatening health scares, getting fired from their dream jobs, and one unfortunate Thanksgiving dinner eaten in a car in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. Through interviews with friends and experts, they have come to understand that their struggles are not unique. And that the most important part of a Big Friendship is making the decision to invest in one another again and again.

An inspiring and entertaining testament to the power of society’s most underappreciated relationship, Big Friendship will invite you to think about how your own bonds are formed, challenged, and preserved. It is a call to value your friendships in all of their complexity. Actively choose them. And, sometimes, fight for them.

Critic reviews

"The hosts of the 'Call Your Girlfriend' podcast prove to be warm, open, and matter-of-fact as they share personal details about the path their friendship has taken. Sounding comfortable and natural behind the mic, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman trade off narrating as they chronicle how they met, maintained a long-distance friendship, supported each other's careers, took the leap to becoming business partners, and navigate the specific challenges of their interracial friendship. But BIG FRIENDSHIP is also prescriptive, making a compelling case for putting in the effort to sustain these essential relationships in our lives. A bonus of the audiobook is that many of the experts on relationships, technology, and more that Sow and Friedman cite chime in to deliver their own quotes."

I applaud of the commitment of a strong friendship

It’s great to see that it takes both parties to continue to work things out in as inevitably problems do arise in any relationship. Maturing throughout life and how it molds our future personalities is very relevant and it’s refreshing to see it is very possible to be in each others lives with thoughtful intentions and most importantly actions such as verbally telling your friends your feelings and commemorative experiences.

Beautiful, concise, and inspiring

This book about Big Friendship will resonate with anyone who has had a deep, powerful friendship that felt like a true relationship. Ann and Aminatou tell the story of ups and downs, and provide a powerful reminder to treasure our friendships, invest in them, and honor their significance.

So meaningful.

I’ve been thinking soooo much about relationships and especially my friendships lately. I needed this audiobook. It was beautiful. I cried. Laughed. Shook my head in recognition. I’m going to be recommending it. A LOT.

Friendships are worthy but work is required, just like in any relationship!

Important reminders and and findings about friendship. The important ones. The ones we need but we tend to belittle. Just like in any relationship they need work, effort, and clear communication. Recommended for friends who need to clear a path, talk about realistic expectations, and define how we can show up for each other.

Big Friendships Rule

I Love this. recommend highly for anyone looking to add more value to your friendships