Friendships for Grown-Ups

I recently read Lisa Whelchel’s new book, Friendships for Grown-Ups. I remember growing up watching Lisa as Blair on The Facts of Life, and have been a fan of hers since then. I’ve read several of her other books and was looking forward to reading this book.

Right away I was drawn into this book because of how open and honest Lisa was in telling about her own struggles with having deep, meaningful friendships. She shared how her childhood impacted how she related to people and in return, how she put up walls and defenses in her life without even realizing it. She talks about her journey of breaking down those walls and learning how to connect deeper with people. I admire how honest she was in recounting her struggles and victories. Reading this book caused me to reflect on the status of my friendships and think about how I could be a better friend. I realized that I have several of those walls up myself.

Besides sharing her story, Lisa also includes several helps such as questions for reflection on each chapter, a prayer poem, practical steps for developing and growing friendships, and conversation prompts. I don’t do this often, but I know I will go back and reread this book a second time because I know I missed some good nuggets of truth the first time.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255