Book
The other significant others : reimagining life with friendship at the center / Rhaina Cohen.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250280916 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xi, 308 pages ; 22 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : St. Martin's Press, 2024.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Defining the relationship -- Other significant others -- What's sex got to do with it? -- Be your own man -- Functional families -- The long haul -- Give them grief -- Friends, with benefits. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Conduct of life. Friendship. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud Branch | 177.62 Coh | 31681010360337 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
""Rhaina Cohen's moving, intimate portraits of people in unusually devoted friendships upend our cultural narratives about which relationships matter . . . an arresting work of compassion and insight."--Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author ofMaybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of Dear Therapists podcast. Why do we assume romantic relationships are more important than friendships? What do we lose when we expect a spouse to meet all our needs? And what can we learn about commitment, love, and family from people who put deep friendship at the center of their lives? In The Other Significant Others, NPR's Rhaina Cohen invites us into the lives of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partner--these are friends who are home co-owners, co-parents or each other's caregivers. Their riveting stories unsettle widespread assumptions about relationships, including the idea that sex is a defining feature of partnership and that people who raise kids together should be in a romantic relationship. Platonic partners from different walks of life--spanning age and religion, gender and sexuality and more--reveal how freeing and challenging it can be to embrace a relationship model that society doesn't recognize. And they showthat orienting your world around friends isn't limited to daydreams and episodes of The Golden Girls, but actually possible in real life. Based on years of original reporting and striking social science research, Cohen argues that we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of them, while we diminish friendships by expecting too little of them. She traces how, throughout history, our society hasn't always fixated on marriage as the greatest source of meaning, or even love. At a time when many Americans are spending large stretches of their lives single, widowed or divorced, or feeling the effects of the "loneliness epidemic," Cohen insists that we recognize the many forms of profound connection that can anchor our lives. A rousing and incisive book, The Other Significant Others challenges us to ask what we want from our relationships--not just what we're supposed to want--and transforms how we define a fulfilling life"-- - Baker & Taylor
Inviting us into the lives of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partner, an award-winning producer and editor for NPR offers a powerful narrative on platonic partnerships and how the thrill, intimacy and commitment we seek is often found through meaningful friendship. - McMillan Palgrave
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
AN INDIE BESTSELLER
"The Other Significant Othersâ¦fundamentally, it's become my new Bible.â â Trevor Noah
"An arresting work of compassion and insight." ?Lori Gottlieb
"I loved and recommend [The Other Significant Others] to everybody." âEzra Klein
"I feel like I've been waiting for this book for my entire adult life." ?Anne Helen Petersen
Why do we assume romantic relationships are more important than friendships? What do we lose when we expect a spouse to meet all our needs? And what can we learn about commitment, love, and family from people who put deep friendship at the center of their lives?
In The Other Significant Others, NPR's Rhaina Cohen invites us into the lives of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partnerâthese are friends who are home co-owners, co-parents or each otherâs caregivers. Their riveting stories unsettle widespread assumptions about relationships, including the idea that sex is a defining feature of partnership and that people who raise kids together should be in a romantic relationship. Platonic partners from different walks of lifeâspanning age and religion, gender and sexuality and moreâreveal how freeing and challenging it can be to embrace a relationship model that society doesn't recognize. And they show that orienting your world around friends isn't limited to daydreams and episodes of The Golden Girls, but actually possible in real life.
Based on years of original reporting and striking social science research, Cohen argues that we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of them, while we diminish friendships by expecting too little of them. She traces how, throughout history, our society hasnât always fixated on marriage as the greatest source of meaning, or even love. At a time when many Americans are spending large stretches of their lives single, widowed or divorced, or feeling the effects of the "loneliness epidemic," Cohen insists that we recognize the many forms of profound connection that can anchor our lives. A rousing and incisive book, The Other Significant Others challenges us to ask what we want from our relationshipsânot just what weâre supposed to wantâand transforms how we define a fulfilling life.
