A review by bookedbymadeline
BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship by Anahit Behrooz

informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

I appreciated the “warnings” at the start, letting readers know about spoilers from media references and the content warnings. The warnings give the exact topic and page number in case readers still want to explore the book but can be aware on which pages to take caution ❤️

The intro felt very much like Barbieland-esque in looking at female friendships and fictionalized worlds where those relationships were valued/centered, which I loved after having seen the Barbie movie! Also Behrooz mentions Christine de Pizan’s “The Book to the City of Ladies” which I know now because of “Cities of Women” by Kathleen B Jones that I read last month!! I was super excited to see a reference I understood (hated Jones’ book but worth it the tiniest bit to now see the reference/source inspo referenced in my non fiction read) 🥰

A quick read about the power of female friendship and the radical intimacy it can offer, as friendships can be some of the most important formative relationships throughout our lives. Some of the language could be difficult and ventured into more academic-leaning language so I wouldn’t say this is an accessible read for a general audience.

Most of the book covers media and literary examples of female friendships, giving us an overview of the stories and unpacking them, rather than explore the topic itself. It’s more surface level which I expected, given its a small 90 page book. But I do wish it would’ve gone slightly deeper as I felt underwhelmed; it lacked a “punch” in its explanations.

It was interesting to read about the impact of capitalism and patriarchy on intimacy in friendships and how it’s devalued compared to romantic relationships. Exploring how heteronormative nuclear families are still valued as the “ultimate life goal.” I’ll definitely be looking for other nonfiction books on the subject, and watching some of the movies referenced! Overall a fascinating, bite-sized read that I’d recommend 💗

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