Synopses & Reviews
Transplanting southern roots to southern Africa, Ginger Mauney has earned the acceptance of a troop of baboons; unraveled mysteries of life and death in an elephant herd, and raised her young son in the wilds of Namibia-but has often longed for the continent she left behind. As a local television anchor, Sara James paid her own way to cover the war in Nicaragua, a gamble which later propelled her to the network. At NBC, she exposed slavery in Sudan and plunged to the gravesite of the Titanic, but struggled to balance work with marriage and motherhood.
Though the two lead seemingly opposite lives, there is much they share. A hometown in Richmond, Virginia. An attraction to life on the razor's edge. A weakness for men with foreign passports and accents. And a past. Now in their heartfelt memoir, Sara and Ginger alternately narrate the story of how two women separated by thousands of miles have found themselves bound together through temperament, circumstance, and serendipity. Using the example of their own lives, The Best of Friends explore universal questions.
The Best of Friends is Sara and Ginger's story, but it is also the story of so many women in their 20's, 30's, and 40's, who with the help of friends, dare to reinvent their lives just when it seemed that everything was falling apart.
Review
“Sometimes the most unlikely people become best friends…a wonderful book.” CBS This Morning
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“Two great friends, two fascinating individual stories, and a memoir that reads like a novel…” Lian Dolan, author of Satellite Sisters' UnCommon Senses
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“Their book…pays tribute to the advances that feminism brought…and to the enduring value of female friendship. Publishers Weekly
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“With grit, honesty, and humor…Their engrossing tale of friendship celebrates the importance of having a confidante.” More Magazine, HOT SUMMER READS
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“James and Mauney write about their friendship . . . in a way that will leave you saying ‘Me too.” Richmond Times-Dispatch
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“Dateline NBCs Sara James and her great friend Ginger Mauney have mastered the art of staying connected.” Today Show
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“Rich tales…A unique window into modern womens quest for meaning and calm in an ever more chaotic world.” Gwendolyn Bounds, author of Little Chapel on the River: A Pub, A Town, and the Search for What Matters Most
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“The Bach Minuet of memoirs…two vastly different stories…woven into the other to form a single, gorgeous melody.” Deborah Copaken Kogan, author of Shutterbabe and the forthcoming Suicide Wood
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“An honest, funny, often wrenching memoir that follows childhood friends…as they…withstand the ups and downs of marriage and kids.” Parenting Magazine
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“Filled with…concerns about love, work, men, marriage and motherhood…that could be a favorite of womens reading groups.” Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Transplanting Southern roots to southern Africa, Ginger Mauney has earned the acceptance of a troop of baboons, unraveled mysteries of life and death in an elephant herd, and raised her young son in the wilds of Etosha National Park. During her career as a television journalist, Sara James paid her own way to cover the war in Nicaragua, exposed slavery in Sudan, plunged to the grave site of the Titanic, but struggled to balance work with marriage and motherhood. Though the two lead seemingly opposite lives, there is much they share. A hometown in Richmond, Virginia, an attraction to life on the razor's edge, and a past. Now, in this heartfelt memoir, Sara and Ginger alternately narrate the story of their twenties, thirties, and forties through the lens of a friendship that has spanned thousands of miles and more than thirty years, and reveal how they dared to reinvent their lives, just as it seemed that everything was falling apart.
About the Author
Sara James is an Emmy Award-winning correspondent and anchor who has reported for Dateline, the Today show, and NBC Nightly News. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two daughters.