Whether you're a first-year student or a senior, coming back to campus is a time to reconnect with old friends and – hopefully – make some new ones. It can be easy to feel alone, so here are my top recommendations for books about friendship to help you feel a little less lonely. Some are slightly tragic, and some more hopeful, but all of these books have helped me feel more connected to those around me.
‘Klara and the Sun’ - Kazuo Ishiguro
This dystopian book follows the life of Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF), as she fulfills her role as friend, guardian and caretaker to a young girl, Josie. Ishiguro explores the ideas of who is allowed to be a friend and what it means when those lines are crossed.
Ishiguro also addresses thoughts about remembering and losing friends. The last 20 pages of this book are some of the most intense, thought-provoking literature I’ve read this year.
‘The Emperor of Gladness’ - Ocean Vuong
This is the newest book from one of my absolute favorite writers. The book follows a young man working a minimum wage job and desperately trying to support both himself and the older woman he lives with and cares for.
The novel is part fact, part fiction, and aspects of the story are similar to an earlier piece of creative nonfiction published in the Adroit Journal. Vuong focuses on the intense relationships formed in the workplace and how those friendships define and shape our lives.
‘Bad Friend’ - Tiffany Watt Smith
This book is a blend of historical nonfiction and personal memoir that examines the history of female friendships, and how ideas about what makes someone a “good friend” have changed over time.
This book made me reevaluate my own ideas about what it means to be a friend and how I can be better to those I care about. Smith’s ideas about the importance of casual friendships helped me to realize that I can choose to enjoy the bonds I’ve formed now and trust that even if I drift away from some people, they will have played an important role in my life, for which I am very grateful.
‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ - Sally Rooney
Rooney’s ability to create such rich and complex characters never ceases to amaze. After her iconic “Normal People,” “Beautiful World, Where Are You” is my favorite Sally Rooney book.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Rooney follows four characters connected by friendship and shared experience. She emphasizes the important roles friends play in each other's lives, weaving their stories together until it is obvious they can never really extricate themselves from one another.
Read More
Travis Kelce’s proposal makes Taylor Swift break ‘forever girlfriend’ trope
By Josie Zimmerman | 3 hours agoAfter two years of dating, Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce on Aug. 26.The duo went public in the summer of 2023, with Kelce attending her concerts and Swift watching his football games.Swift announced their engagement in a post on Instagram, captioned “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” with her song “So High School” playing over the photos.
1 year later: Oxford community continues to rally around bee mural
By Anna Reier | YesterdayJoe Prescher has always been an artist. He’s taught high schoolers in Iowa and Texas and college students at Miami University, as well as selling his work professionally. So, when the opportunity arose to permanently place his work in his hometown, he did not hesitate.
‘Honey Don’t!’; The title warned you
By Sydney Mulford | 2 days agoMargaret Qualley (Honey O’Donahue) and Aubrey Plaza (MG Falcone) star in a new murder mystery movie, where the title itself answers the question of whether or not to see it.