If you’ve ever felt the stinging loss of a relationship that drifted apart– and who hasn’t — then The Red Book is for you. Deborah Copaken Kogan authored this beautiful book about love, loss, and explores something we’ve all struggled with — trying to rewrite the past. This is a book that has meant so much to me in the years since I have graduated college. Which has really only been two, but it feels more like a lifetime. Clover, Addison, Jane, and Mia were college roommates at Harvard, and while they’ve kept in touch through the use of The Red Book, a book published every year with updates and biographical information on all alumni, but they’ve kept secrets from each other that will be uncovered at their 20th reunion.
Now this may seem like a strange book to use as a guide in life, but it has some really great lessons that we all must learn.
It made me really reevaluate the relationships I made in college, and really focus on making them grow and strengthening them over time.
It probably comes as no shock that life moves very fast– like light speed. It’s sometimes hard to keep in touch with friends who are living vastly different lives all over the country. This book is a great reminder of why all friendships are important, and why you should keep the ones around you that help you to grow and accept you for who you are. Here are the 5 reasons all women should read The Red Book.
1. Nobody Is Perfect
If for no other reason, then pick up this book to remind yourself that there are other people out there like you. We all struggle, and we try to put on a brave face for the world to see, but eventually we will learn that we have to let go and let people see the true you! It’s important to have those people in your life who really understand what you’re going through no matter what.
2. Rekindle Old Friendships
Sometimes we let those coveted bonds we made throughout our lifetime grow cold. We forget to call for months at a time, or we seem to grow apart over the years, but it’s never too late to pick up the phone and give an old friend a call. It’s actually one of the most important things you can do to ensure you are living life to the fullest. I loved that this book provided a great look at what it can happen if you simply reach out to an old friend.
3. Love Can Be Messy At Any Age
“I love this idea … Of being broken but finding pleasure in it.” This quote may be one of the greatest reasons to read this book. Learning that love can be messy and complicated at any age is something that we all should try and grasp a bit more. It’s tough to fall in love, but it’s even tougher if you put undue pressure on it and don’t let things fall in too place, which brings me to my next reason.
4. Learn to Embrace the Struggle
We all are going to have our pitfalls in this life. In fact, they are unavoidable.
This book provides beautiful examples of the ways that life didn’t go as we had hoped our planned, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make lemons from lemonade.
Learn to embrace the ways in which life may take a complete turn for the worst, and let that bring you closer to happiness. Embrace your struggle.
5. Life Is Beautiful
“If I’ve learned anything in the twenty-five years that have transpired between graduation and today it is this: I am stronger than I thought I was and weaker than I’d hoped to be, and in between those two extremes is a little thing called life.” This was my favorite quote of the entire book, and it was saved for the very end. I can’t think of a better way to describe life and the things that we will all inevitably go through. It’s a brilliant reminder that life is messy, but it’s also extraordinary and we should try to live in those two extremes a little more often.
