Bad Friend: How Women Revolutionized Modern Friendship
BOOK BY Tiffany Watt Smith
A smart and thought-provoking memoir, history, and cultural critique about the turmoil and complexity of female friendship Our culture today is inundated with narratives about the strength of female friendship, whether through images of girl power, BFFs, or work wives. Yet cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith has always found her own life much messier. She has had dramatic friend breakups, friendships that felt like too much or not enough, friendships that drifted into silence, and friendships built on convenience rather than a meeting of minds. And there are older cultural scripts to contend the competitive rival, the jealous backstabber, the underminer, the fair-weather friend. We have all been bad friends. It’s impossible to be a perfect one; as Watt Smith points out, women’s friendships have long been magnified, scrutinized, praised, and admonished, creating a legacy of impossible ideals. In Bad Friend, Watt Smith reflects on her own experience and thoroughly mines the rich cultural history of female friendship to look for a new paradigm that might encompass the struggles along with the joy. The author’s ability to manage multiple elements within the story contributes to its overall strength. Plot, character, and theme are integrated in a way that feels cohesive rather than fragmented. This integration supports a smooth and engaging narrative. The book’s thematic elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, emerging naturally through character experiences. This integration prevents the story from feeling preachy, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.