The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

This is an enjoyable story of 11 girls, friends from childhood, who grew up in Ames, Iowa. The author spotlights each girl so you really get to know their personalities and who they are the closest to within the group. This is a super quick read but is written intelligently. There were a couple of times I disagreed with the actions or ideals of some of the girls but then realized this is biographical – in other words, I got over it. This is good because in essence I really got into their lives whilst reading. The old adage applies here – I laughed, I cried; but that’s how life is and the point is their friendships have survived many different ordeals. The old Midwestern values come through pretty strongly too. You truly feel as if you know these girls and at times are there sitting in the circle with them at one of their reunions. On a personal note I have to say that my friendships with other women are such a blessing to me but none of them are from childhood and I felt a little envious of these ladies. The author points out how much we really need each other, in the good and bad and these ladies are a great example to us all of enduring love.