Sara James (2)

Sara James and Ginger Mauney met when they were in middle school. Shared confidences during a slumber party cemented their friendship. Despite moving far apart (Mauney settled in Namibia; James in New York), they remained close. This is a shared memoir of their friendship.

We learn of their various steps and missteps in becoming independent, strong women. The career they chose. The men they fell for (and got hurt by). And finally, their personal and professional successes. Good for them. I was bored.… (mehr)

A format not often seen: two autobiographies in alternating chapters of one book. Maybe the reason for the paucity is that it doesn't work well. It seems the publisher and authors are always trying to find links that will justify the title. Mauney is a filmmaker who worked in Namibia for sixteen years while keeping up her friendship with James, a news anchor in the U.S. There are interesting details in each of their lives but their stories would have been served better with separate books. Inside the dust jacket the publisher claims that the book "uses the example of their lives to explore such universal questions as: When your heart is broken, how do you heal? How do you realize your dreams without compromising yourself? And what does it mean as an adult to be a "best" friend?" In my opinion, stretching the topic somewhat to fit the title. I was looking forward to reading this book and tried hard to like it, but in the end found it disappointing.… (mehr)