Denworth sticks to the science, calmly telling us the truth no matter what we think we need to hear. In these polarized times, when some readers may object to the very premise that there is something called human nature that can’t be wished away, Ms. Denworth has crafted a worthy call to action. the author is judicious in weighing scientific evidence, most clearly with respect to the effects of videogames and social media on people’s social lives. A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Nonfiction Book of Winter 2020 and a Real Simple Best Book of 2020 Accessible and enlightening. For there is more than enough in the life sciences and adjacent fields to keep us busy in a single volume indeed, the author’s parade of scientists and findings, though carefully presented, inevitably blurs in places as it goes by, trying our patience as even our best friends can sometimes do. sensibly resists trying to wrap her arms around research on (to cite a few examples) the effect of our sprawling built environment, our increased tendency to sort ourselves by our politics and preferences, or our growing ethnic diversity-all of which have ramifications for friendship and could fill additional books. not just a biological account of friendship but a quick and painless tutorial in the history of evolutionary science, which is revealed to us through the prism of a subject all of us can relate to.Given how much there is to be said about friendship, maintaining this sharp focus must have required discipline. She has a solid command of the complex material before her and a seemingly effortless ability to make it not just digestible but engaging. Denworth does an admirable job of outlining the sources of our yearning for it.

deft exploration of the biology of a 'fundamental bond'.

Friendship by Lydia Denworth