The Friends We Keep

The Friends We Keep
A Woman's Quest for the Soul of Friendship
Sarah Zacharias Davis
2009
Waterbrook Press
Non-fiction/Christian Living/Women

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

What are we asking from our friends? This is a question this author pursues deeply in her book The Friends We Keep. Do we want them to fill the void, that is truly only filled by God? Do we want them to accept all of our little idiosyncrasies? Unconditional love is a huge part of friendship, yet too often we find that our friends and even we ourselves cannot love unconditionally.
Sarah Zacharias Davis, takes a look at friendship, and deeply probes into the whys, whats, and who's of friendships. Why do hurt the ones we love? Why do we use sarcasm to cover our hurts, instead of facing them head on? Why do we gossip about our dearest friends? All of these questions are addressed in this book. Who is our soul friend? Our true friends? Why doesn't certain friendships last? How do we intervene for friends in situations that can destroy them? So many questions she addresses and answers. Explore, and learn how to make and keep friends.
The research on this book is incredible and vast, she quotes many authors, movies, and songs using their words to help convey her thoughts. A well written book. Definitely a book to share with friends.
A discussion guide at the end, makes the book a marvelous book club or study group book. 210 pages $12.99 US


Press release summary
During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful–and wounding–women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need.

The Friends We Keep is Sarah’s thoughtful account of her own story and the stories of other women about navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long so for women friends?
• Do we need friends like we need air or food or water?
• What causes cattiness, competition, and co-dependency in too many friendships?
• Why do some friendships last forever and others only a season?
• How do I foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do I do so?

With heartfelt, intelligent writing, Sarah explores these questions and more with personal stories, cultural references and history, faith, and grace. In the process, she delivers wisdom for navigating the challenges, mysteries, and delights of friendship: why we need friendships with other women, what it means to be safe in relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous.

Author Bio:

Sarah Zacharias Davis is a senior advancement officer at Pepperdine University , having joined the university after working as vice president of marketing and development for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and in strategic marketing for CNN. The daughter of best-selling writer Ravi Zacharias, Davis is the author of the critically-acclaimed Confessions from an Honest Wife and Transparent: Getting Honest About Who We are and Who We Want to Be. She graduated from Covenant College with a degree in education and lives in Los Angeles , California .