The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship

Jeffrey Zaslow

Apr 2010 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The instant New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of eleven girls and the ten women they became, from the coauthor of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture

As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life's challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds.

The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women's lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it's a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by.

Ratings and reviews

Do you keep in contact with those friends from childhood? Do you have girls that you call with all of the good and bad news before anyone else? Are there friendships worth fighting distance, time constraints and obstacles? YES! The Girls From Ames was a great book about 11 women who through many different ways came be a very close knit group of girls who have shared absolutely ALL the ups and downs that life can throw at anyone. Divorces, miscarriages and loves lost all bring them together even though they live in very different parts of the US. They have also been able to celebrate many good times from healthy children, job promotions and the men who make their lives complete. I absolutely loved this book. I cried. I laughed. I wanted to call all the girls that are currently in my life and those who have been in and out to thank them for their listening ears and the moments we have had. Whether you have kept in touch with childhood friends or not, this book is definitely one to go to pick up and fast.

About the author

Jeffrey Zaslow is a Wall Street Journal columnist and, with Randy Pausch, coauthor of The Last Lecture, the #1 New York Times bestseller now translated into forty-one languages. Zaslow attended Dr. Pausch’s famous lecture and wrote the story that sparked worldwide interest in it. The Girls from Ames also grew out of one of Zaslow’s columns. He lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex, and Eden.