"The best stories, which originate in the heart and are the truest, both literally and metaphorically, are rooted in the earliest memories of our lives, when families and friends are the predominant shaping forces-influences that invariably last a lifetime."-Lee GutkindFamily and Friends is an anthology of essays, memoirs, articles, literary journalism, and narrative history that marries the accuracy of reportage with personal accounts as compelling as the most satisfying fiction. Through essays focusing on the impact and legacy of parents and friends, this second title in Lee Gutkind's creative nonfiction series is an honest look at noteworthy writers' personal and familial experiences.Offering readers insight and wisdom as it sparks their own memories of remarkable people in their lives, Family and Friends chronicles the personal relationships of some of America's best-loved writers. Its contributors include: Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Ford, John McPhee, B. J. Nelson, Judy Ruiz, Raymond Carver, Deborah Tannen, Hilary Koski, Phillip Richards, Jack Cady, Julene Bair, Bob Cowser, Jr., Alice Hoffman, Richard Shelton, Daniel Stolar, Phillip Lopate, Enid Baron, Rebecca McClanahan, Alec Wilkinson, and Lee Gutkind.More than just stories of personal interaction, Family and Friends not only allows readers a glimpse at the people who have defined other lives but helps us to remember the extraordinary people who have sculpted ours.