The minute I started reading reviews for "The Girls From Ames" I knew I had to read it. I knew before I read it that there would be parallels to the friendship that I share with 7 of the most amazing women I have ever known. Like the Ames girls we all grew up in Sedalia, Mo, a small town in the Midwest. Some of the girls have been friends since grade school, others began their friendships in junior high. I came into the circle the summer before my sophomore year when I transferred to Smith-Cotton High School from a Catholic high school. I found to my amazement that I was so graciously accepted within the group and I realized that God led me to them for a reason. These are the girls who defined me. They are the ones I "cruised the strip" with, laughed with, cried with, fought with and shared my dreams with. Our high school class of almost 300 was a very close knit class and we all had friends outside the group, but it is these 8 women who I have maintained a 30 year friendship with. Our friendship has taken many twists and turns along the way, but not a day goes by when I don't think of one of them or all of them. I enjoy being the "keeper of the flame" and have worked hard to keep us all in the loop and in touch. Each month we do an update about our lives and what is going on then hit "reply all." I recently went through a painful divorce. Each and everyone one of "the girls" sent me words of encouragement and pep talks that kept me moving forward. At times, I thought they had secretly talked to each other and planned out who was going to reach out to me next because each new message I received was from a different one of them. I finished your book how much it hit home with me. Friendships sustain you and if are fortunate enough to have ones that stand the test of time then you are one lucky woman. To my Sedalia girls, thank you for your love, support and strength. I am a better person with all of you in my life- you are my blessings!

tkYZr
Initially, I purchased this book because my husband grew up near Ames in Boone, Iowa. I was curious to see if he would recognize any names and places mentioned in it. However, reading this book brought me so much more than just some passing remembrances for my husband.
After having laughed and cried while reading the book, I could not shake the realization that I had lost something very precious along the way through my life. There were 7 of us girls who had attended High school together in Onalaska, WI. We graduated in 1965 and 1966. We all had decided that we wanted to become Lutheran school teachers. In order to do that, we had to attend Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. Although we had different roommates at first, we were finally able to all room togther in the ustairs of a large old house.
After we all had graduated in 1969 and 1970, we had several reunions and tried to keep in touch with a Round Robin letter. Unfortunately, everyone's life seemed to get in the way, and our correspondence had fallen off to sporadic Christmas letters. A few of us who lived relatively close saw each other at times, but we have not had a reunion of everyone for 18 years.
After reading "The Girls From Ames," I decided that we needed to regain the support, encouragement, and enjoyment that we had lost. When I contacted everyone, they all agreed and we began making plans to meet. I am writing this after having just returned from a weekend with my 6 friends on November 13, 14, and 15. I cannot adequately describe the delight that we all felt in connecting again. We're all past 60 now and 5 of the 7 are grandmothers multiple times, but we laughed and talked for hours like young girls. I got thatnked many times for setting up the weekend, but I must thank Jeffrey Zaslow for putting the idea into my head. Thank you for the wonderful book and all of the reunions that it will inspire. You've made the world a better place, and that's not an easy thing to do these days.

Your story really touched me. I too am an Iowa girl (Burlington) and have two friends from high school who are still my closest and dearest friends. Only one of us still lives in Iowa, I am on the east coast, the other gal on the west, but we have maintained our friendship for more than 30 years. Through good times and bad, happy and sad, they are by far my "best friends". I found myself laughing at parts (detasseling corn), and near tears at others. I look forward to our get-togethers every year or so, usually in Iowa, to laugh and reminise. It's like it's 1978 again and we're back in high school. Thank you for sharing your story.

I just finished your book, which I read in the span of 2 days. I could not put it down. My husband is from Traer, IA and I love that little town. It is so different to raise children in a big city, I live in PHX and my daugter will never know the benefits of living in a small town. I am envious and at the same time so happy for the relationships you have built over the years. I too have a BFF that I have know since JR. High and we have this incredible friendship that can never be replaced. Thanks for your incredible story.

Flavia

I just finished The Girls from Ames. It may just as well have been titled "The Girls from Denison". A friend recommended the book to me because I went to Iowa State, grew up in a small town just 80 or so miles west of Ames and have 7 girlfriends from high school (class of 1986, so just a few years younger) with whom I get together with annually for a few days. We call ourselves "The DHS Girls". I was so moved by this story because it so closely mirrors my relationship with these women...their emotions, their thoughts on the importance of their "old friends" versus "new friends", their fights, their differing views on marraige and religion...I could go on and on. I started to cry so many times while reading it...I don't think I have ever related so well to a book. It really hit home. It made me even more thankful for those relationships in my life. Thank you, Mr. Zaslow, for writing this book. I am sending a copy to each of my "DHS Girls" and cannot wait to share their thoughts as they read it.

I just finished this book and it made me realize how much I treasure my best and dearest friend from my childhood who I am lucky enough to still have in my life. Thank you for a beautiful story that totally touched my heart. God bless you all! From another Iowa girl

J5Zn6
I will be attending a reunion of 11 girls from Hattiesburg, Mississippi- class of 1957.
We are the Big Ten plus One and have been
getting together for Lunch many times over the past 50 plus years . I too am the only Jewish one. Many fond memories, but different from the Girls from Ames as they are much younger than us .

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and have passed it on to so many friends. Since graduating from high school 42 yrs. ago I have sustained a friendship by mail with one of my friends. Over the years we have never gotten together - she is in SC and I live in CT. We have written about our marriage, pregnancies, childhood of our children, along with their teen years. All of this has been shared by writing each other and never loosing touch. We truly feel that our adolescent years were so valuable in creating our friendship, and cherish those times in our life.

Hopefully there will be a second book following the lives of the Ames girls. I look forward to it, and will once again recommend it to all of those close to m

Just finished book. Enjoyed learning about the friendships.
I am a high school graduate of a small town in Alabama. We have a group of nine girls who get together every four months for lunch. We are not as close as the girls in the book, but some of us have been friends since four years old. We graduated from high school in 1960. We will celebrate our 50th class reunion next year with classes from 1944 or before.

Today I hitchhiked from Gillette to Buffalo, Wyoming. I went to the library here in Buffalo and saw your book "The Girls From Ames" by Jeffrey Zaslow. I have just skimmed through it; it looks very good.

I used to live in Ames for a number of years. I finished high school at Ames High School in 1978--I did two months of night school there. I am originally from Algona, Iowa. I later graduated from Iowa State University in 1995 with a degree in English Literature. I worked at Hanson Lumber in Ames for a number of years and later worked at Harold Pike Construction Company for a while.

I have been hitchhiking the United States for most of thirteen years now. I had a short story and two poems published in Ethos Magazine and I had a book published in December 2008: "High Plains Drifter: A Hitchhiking Journey Across America."

I just thought that it was such a pleasant surprise to see your book here at the library in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Take care and God bless you.

I finished the book in flight yesterday while travelling home across the country back to Northern California where I live. Zooming over the midwest I imagined that I was looking down onto Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is where my oldest and dearest BFF lives. So much of what the Ames girls have experienced deeply resonated with me. Kerry and I have not lived in the same state since 1979 (the year my daughter was born) yet our friendship has been a deep and lasting one throughout the past 30 years. No one else can ever know me, accept me and love me unconditionally the way Kerry does. The same is true for her, I am sure.
Thank you Mr. Zaslow for writing this book. I am passing it on to my daughter as it's next reader. (She already has a core group of women friends she has known since junior high and high school!)

I enjoyed reading the book. It was given to me by my co-worker who had been my friend now for 31 years. But, the friends that it has lots of similarity with this story are my 11 childhood from back home, Manila Philippines. I came to the States @ age 17 years old to follow the rest of my family to migrate to CA. There were no e-mails growing up, telephone back home is expensive. To keep in touch was very minimal. I was so young that writing letters was limited due to being busy in College, working and adapting to my new home which was a culture shock to begin with. I related to the book in regards to our childhood activities and sharing thoughts. We lived in the same neighborhood but went to different Catholic private schools. As natural for our ages, we had friends from the neighborhoods and schoolmate friends. But, my friends in the neighborhood were the constant fixtures in my growing life. We organized a dance sequel during a campaign of one of the girl's political events. We were also identified as based on our parents' professions. My parents are CPA and educator. Wilda & Estrell's mother was a physician and so on. Since there was no cars to honk the horns, We make a yelling distinct sound to indicate that the girls are outside picking you up for a walk, biking or to go to church. Some of us were choir members and those who were not tended to make "fun" to those who were singing. The boys from the neighborhood knew of us since we called ourselves STARLETTES. Now that we are all grown up, there are 5 of us living in Southern CA; 1 in Australia, 1 in New Jersey and the rest stayed back home. All of us are professionals and educated-social workers, attorneys, physicians, teachers and running their own bus. When we were young, we knew that we would complete college but never thoought we would be apart living across the ocean. When some of the girls travels to the States, Wilda the forever president would always set up a reunion even just for a day, dinner in order to see each other before the girls return back home to the Phil. And eveytime we get together, it seems that we were never been apart. We supported each other thru cancer, divorces and lost of a husband. Thank you for the lovely book and sharing your life with us. I can relate...
Carmelita

I have a photo of girls in our kindergarten class from Grant School in Mission Hills (San
Diego). The majority of us went to high school
together, and still remain in contact, some
by email. One has passed away, and a very close friend (my locker partner) has only hours
before she passes.
My childhood friend Sandra, and I still remain
very close no matter what country she has been
living in. Our mothers were friends during their grammar school days.
I too am adopted. Met my biological father when I was 52 (I was his only child), so was able to get my bio family history, as well become acquainted with a half sister, and an aunt just 2 years younger than I am. People are fascinated when I relate my two families.
I've been blessed and challenged! I had always day-dreamed I would find my bio father, as I grew up knowing he had such a very hard time giving me up for adoption. The bio mom decided she didn't want to be married and left us when I was 3 months old.
I could relate to the Girls from Ames, their love and friendship, the sadness, and the very strong connections and support they have
for one another.
Barbie aka Diane Marie Fouwuette
SUxq9

I am almost finished with the book. A client passed the book to me, knowing of the friendships I have with a group of girls from elementry school. Reading this book has been bittersweet. It has been a journey. At times I have cried- and othersd felt like these were my friends. I can identify with so many of their thouhgts and feelings. My group is made up of roughly 8 girls from grammar school. There have been others that have come and gone over the years. There can be a weird dynamic in my group. I have felt very close to many of my group over the years, for various reasons we connect at a certain time. However recently something happened that hurt me deep in my soul. There has always been sub cliques with in this group. There has always been dramas. But this was at a time in my life that made me question if I could still keep these friendships. I think thats why I have been re examining my life in and outside of my group.
Thank you - all of you for giving me such a full account of your lives. I want to know more!

Hi Jeff,
At first I wasn't so taken with your book,but since I have 5 lifelong friends I stuck with it.I'm really glad I did. I am a teacher and don't get much time to read for pleasure. I happened to be home sick , so I was able to read the book in big chunks. Once I was "into" the book and the girls' lives, I couldn't put it down. I had a lump in my throat for most of it and laughed through my tears.
This past summer, my girlfriends and I went to France to celebrate the fact that we are all turning 60 in 2009. This is the first time we have been together for an extended period of time . We were together for two full weeks. We got ot share all the fun times, but we also talked together about the tragedies we've had.There are no divorces in our group,which is amazing. Howver, three of the girls are widows.They've lost their husbands to heart attack at 50, the World Trade Center(9-11), and lung cancer.We live in NY, MA,NJ, and PA. We grew up together in Woodside,Queens ,NY. Some are friends met at 3,others in kindergarten,and all of us went to St. Mary's Catholic grammar School.I can relate to a lot of the lives of the Ames girls, yet our story is very differnt too.
I have thought about writing a magazine article about our trip and our friendships.Someone on the river cruise we were on suggested your book to me. The other people on the ship called us "The Girls".At 60 , we didn't mind.We know we're women, but we are also girls at heart.When we are together, we certainly feel like girls again.
Thanks for letting me share in women's friendships. I have always cherished mine.I'm going to recommend your book to my other Woodside friends.