The Just Friends Syndrome

Charts a hapless young man's relationships with nine women--eight of whom give him the dreaded "just friends" speech

If I had been alone, I may have kept up my hopes after what she said. She did say a lot of nice things about me. She said she liked being with me, said how sweet I was, said she liked that I was so patient with her. But he shook me back into reality. He said that while he was sure she meant all those things, she was just letting me down gently. Fact was, I'd heard it all before. History was repeating itself. It was, as Yogi Berra put it so eloquently, 'dj vu all over again'. Rarely has a book explored so intimately the deep feelings and emotions experienced by a guy looking for love. Based on a true story, this serious comedy highlights the author's Charlie Brown-like experiences with life and relationships. Through his interactions with nine different girls-eight of whom give him the dreaded "just friends" speech-Williams learns the ups and downs of love. Visit www.thejustfriendssyndrome.com for more information and links to buy this book.

My friend Sarah has a disability called Down Syndrome. But that doesn't matter to us. We tell jokes and laugh, go to ballet class together, and have a lot of fun. I'm glad Sarah is my friend!

Platonic friendships have been the topic of heavy discussion over the past decade, with more and more people turning to social media and friending those who are unknown to them, particularly the opposite sex. Many of us can think of a person whom we are friends with who is not of the same gender, and many more of us have become blind to the fact that there is usually always something more that hovers within this limbic space of platonic friendship. A lot of us do not understand the science behind our behavior, and we are uncertain as to why we have certain feelings toward others we consider just friends. There is an evolution at work, and many of our desires and nondesires come from these evolutionary traits that we carry as primates. Although many men and women would confirm that they have a friend who is from the opposite sex and the relationship is specifically platonic, do they truly believe this? Or is there something more between them on an emotional level? The majority of humans tend to shy away from the honesty buried beneath our subconscious in order to cache our true desires for the opposite sex. Are We Just Friends? gives a clear indication as to why we do what we do as human primates and provides a clear understanding as to the types of behavior we undertake when faced with the possibility of intimate thoughts toward those we would consider friends on a platonic level.

Isabelle and Charlie are friends. They both like to draw, dance, read, and play at the park. They both like to eat Cheerios. They both cry if their feelings are hurt. And like most friends, they are also different from each other. Isabelle has Down syndrome. Charlie doesn't. Written by Isabelle's mother, this charming tale encourages readers to think about what makes a friendship special. My Friend Isabelle also opens the door for young children to ask about differences and the world around them. It's a wonderful story to read at bedtime or to share at school. Lively full colour illustrations dovetail beautifully with the text to bring the simple story to life.

Told from a child's point of view, explains the causes of Down syndrome and describes the things people with the condition can do, and the ways in which they, just like other people, may need help.

Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. When he was fourteen, Bradlee was diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial-Syndrome (VCFS), a wide-spread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kid -- and of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living "a different life" with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.