A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
Reported stories of people who organize life around committed friendships outside the usual hierarchy of romance, marriage, and family.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
It expands the social imagination around which relationships may organize a life. The book gives language to forms of devotion and interdependence that dominant institutions often leave unnamed.
Good starting place if…
You want real-life examples of friendships and chosen partnerships that carry commitments usually reserved for marriage or romantic couples.
Know before you begin…
Cohen reports a varied set of contemporary relationships rather than proposing one model everyone should adopt. Legal, financial, cultural, and caregiving realities differ, and the stories do not diminish the value of healthy romantic bonds.