Just finished reading the book---strangely enough, my HUSBAND brought it home from the library! Didn't seem like his sort of thing, but he enjoyed it enough to suggest I read it as well. Jeffrey Zaslow has really succeeded in capturing so much of what is unique and important in female friendships. I wasn't lucky enough to have so big a group to support me or hang out with in my early years---mine was a group of 4, but it was great--and I recognized so many similarities in the Ames girl's experiences with each other. Only one of that group and I are still close; close in a way I can never quite be with any of my other, later, friends. I think one of the reasons is that she is one of the few people left around who knew me as a child, and I her. That holds a special place, I think---someone who knows the ESSENTIAL YOU. I think that is one of the many messages of the Ames Girls book, and a valuable one.
One of my own daughters, aged 19, grew up with a large wonderful group of girls (9)in our hometown, a friendship that dates back to kindergarten-- these days that is becoming more and more rare, and I envy her for it, as did many kids in her high school. Sadly, something peculiarly "mean girl" crept into the "Fine Nine's" makeup like a poison after their first year of college, and for reasons that have yet to be revealed, 2 of the girls have been "shunned" (can't think of a better word),which was devastating to them; and since my daughter was closest to those two, she, too, has been nudged out of the group. No explanation! Even when confronted! Girls are, simply, awful to each other sometimes!!! My theory is that something got out of control in the dynamic of the group. It hurts me to sit by and see that, but Laura is a big girl now and she has a wonderful group of friends at college to "fall back on" in addition to the other two "shunned" girls. My hope is that some day, the Fine Nine will gradually let bygones be bygones, whatever the cause was, and become close again. The story of the intervention and Sally rang so, so, true!! And left the comfort that maybe "this, too, shall pass"---which is the message I gave my daughter; I think it's the right one. Hope all is well with Kelly and Angela, and I am happy that Karla is loving her life in Montana. Thanks for such an insightful book!

Wow! What a wonderful story ladies! Jeffrey Zaslow does it again! He seems to be the only man that can make me cry

I feel like I have made ten (10) new friends, actually eleven (11) old friends including Sheila.

I am 44 years old, and grew up in the Berkshires with a similar situation with my group of girlfriends. I felt I really could relate to the story of the Ames girls. The story brought back so many memories.

I look forward to reading the updates. Best wishes to Kelly & Angela during your healing process. I too have had my run in with the nasty C word. Continue your brave fight girls!

Best wishes,
Mikki

P.S. Next time you're in the Berkshires, if you haven't already, you ladies should hike Monument Mountain in Great Barrington, MA. It's just one of the most beautiful hiking spots in Berkshire County!

I just finished reading the book yesterday and absolutely ENJOYED it!

I am not good friends with classmates from elementary school or high school anymore, but I made friends with a wonderful group in college back in 1998. The 4 of us are still buds to this day and like the Ames girls we are scattered around. We attended College of the Ozarks. I was the only one in the group from Missouri and I lived about 35 minutes away so my friends and I would spend time with my family on some weekends. My friends were from Kansas, Arkansas, and Minesota. I am still the only one that remains in Missouri while the others are in Arkansas, Mineapolis and one friend moved clear to the west coast to Seattle. All four of us have not been all together as a group since 2003 but 2-3 of us hhave been able to get together time to time. Reading the book made me think of my wonderful friends, how we are like sisters and the fun times and hardships we had together. Two friends are now married with kids and I see how we are all changing. So I hope that we continue to be great friends over the years. We call, text, and email quite often. The book is a great reminder how lucky we are to have our friends in our lives.

I rcvd this book as a birthday gift from my best friend. While our "group" is just the 2 of us we have been friends for 40 years! The story begins with our grandmothers,on to our mothers, and now us. I am thankful for her everyday. I wish I were with her now.

i LOVED your book and enjoyed every minute of reading it. in fact, it made me a little sad that although i knew a lot of people in high school (my graduating class had just over 1000 students), i was as close as your group was with very few of them. in fact, the only person i am in contact with on a regular basis is a guy. I read karla's story with particular interest. you see on what was probably one of the happiest days of her life, 1-9-90 when her daughter christie was born, was the worst in my own life. my son sean who was 12 at the time was diagnosed with ewing's sarcoma, a very rare bone cancer, on that date. but unlike karla's story, mine did have a happy ending. my son survived with his leg intact although he opted to have it amputated a few years ago due severe nerve damage and pain when he was 29. Thanks for such a good read. laura johnson

My mom called to tell me that she had gotten me a 'treat' and she had sent it in the mail. It was this book. I had most of it read that night. The very next day I e-mailed my "girls" and told them all that they either needed to get the book, or we could send around my copy, with everyone signing it. We grew up in Decorah, Iowa, Northeast of Ames by about 170 miles. We graduated in 1982. This book could have been about us, I was floored. I cried, I laughed . . . I reminisced. THANK YOU for a beautiful trip down memory lane. We will certainly talk of this book at our next reunion!!

I am a member of The Marietta Girls. There are 16 of us. 12 of us graduated from Wheeler High School in Marietta, GA. in 1971. The same 12 were born in 1953. Our ages range from 49-60. Some of us have known each other since pre-school and some joined our group post high-school. Most of the girls still live in the Marietta, GA area while I now live in California, Mandy lives in Texas. We have an annual Marietta Girls Trip the 3rd week of July. This past July was our 31st trip. Reading The Girls of Ames reminds me so much of us. The author did a fantastic job of summing up the power of women and their friendships. I feel priviliged to be a part of such a fantastic, caring group of girlfriends. Our names are...Cathy, Kathy, Kathy, Clair, Laura, Laurie, Lori,Debbie, Debbie, Melanie, Cynthia, Melissa, Maggie, Mandy,Linda, and Susie!

I am 16 years old now and I have 10 best friends (so there are 11 total). We have been in school together since kindergarten and now in high school we are the "Frenchies" because we all came from a french immersion school. We often talk about when we graduate and being seperated but after reading The Girls From Ames I feel very inspired and I have more hope that we will remain close. I gave my copy of the book to my grandmother because she grew up with her group of friends called "The Nine." Which I find interesting, like it runs in the family. I was also very touched by the part about Christy in the book because one girl in my group of friends barely survived cancer before we knew her and it makes me so thankful that she is here today. So thank you for putting this story out into the world because it is so wonderful and I will always cherish it.

I finished the book yesterday & really enjoyed it. While my circle of friends isn't as large as the Ames girls (we are only 3), & we're a little younger (35 & 36), we still have the beautiful bond of friendship that sees us through lifes ups & downs. For the last 10 years we have lived in 3 countries (Australia, UK & UAE)& kepy in contact via email, snail mail & the occasional phone call. We are always able to pick up where we left off. Im so excited as my friend that lived in Dubai has now moved back to Australia, so hopefully we can all get together for the UK friends next visit to Oz! Cross your fingers for us!!

Tracy

MjppB
I just finished reading "The Girls from Ames" after it was recommended to me by my sister. We are part of a group of 7 girls who grew up in the little town of Hapeville, just outside the Atlanta city limits. Being a small town, we had only 2 elementary schools and one high school. The 7 of us met in elementary school in 1974 and the rest is, shall we say, history. We have shared good times, bad times, saddness, joy, etc. 6 of us are still in touch via email and facebook and 5 of us see each other on a regular basis. We lost touch with one during the early 90's. I do not know what I would do without "the girls". The are my friends, my sisters and my confidants. We are all in our early 40's (41 and 42) and when we are together, it's often like we are 12 years old again. I often tell people of my unique set of friends that have been with me for 35 years and many are amazed. We take for granted how special it is to have one another. I've found it difficult as an adult to having meaningful relationships with female friends, I think, because in the deep dark places of my mind, I know there is small little group of girls who love me just as I am, warts and all. Thank you for a wonderful book reminding us all of the value of friendship

I laughed alot and cried more than I ever had reading a book. I was intrigued with the idea of this book before I read it because I too come from a group of childhood friends that have remained close throughout the years. We have had many comments from people of how they are amazed that a group of friends can remain close through all these years. We are the same age of the girls in the book so it was easy to relate them. It was also easy to relate to the dynamics of the friendships within the group. Thank you to the girls for opening up their lives, which couldn't have been easy, and to Jeffrey Zaslow for taking the time to touch upon a unique subject that hits close to home in so many ways. If you do a follow up book, I'm sure "The Girls From Harrison" would be happy to assist!

I've also just finished the book. This wasn't really my style of book that I normally read. But when I had seen it and read the jacket, I was intrigued. I really loved the book. I can recall these same but different experiences that these women have had. My dearest and best friend and I have known each other since the first grade. We are now in our 40's. We have our own way of communicating with each other, laughing at what only would be funny to us, and supporting each other through the most difficult hurdles in life. I don't know how my life would be without her. It is a true treasure to have this friendship that has survived all these years. Thank you Ames Girls for sharing your stories and to Jeffrey Zaslow for bringing to us.

I just finished the book and love love loved it. My friends mean the world to me, they are my people and without them I would be terribly lost. At 25, we're all over the place. Careers and families are starting; some of us are fighting change, and growing up, while others are embracing it with no fear. Our differences have always complemented each other, and continue to do so. Thank you for sharing this story, it was so uplifting to read such a success story as I continue in my own!
Best, K.

All I can say is WOW! I have just finished the book (literally 30 minutes ago - I watched the videos before writing this!), and I can't tell you how much I related to the story!
I am 36 years old, and this year, my 10 girlfriends and I are celebrating our 30th friendship anniversary! We first met in kindergarden and our friendships always grew from there. And now, every year since we were 16, we have a Christmas party and exchange gifts chosen from a theme. And since this is a special year, I suggested that the theme would be 'friendship'. A couple of weeks later, I came upon an article in People magazine about this book... what a GREAT idea! ''The Girls from Ames'' stories have deeply touched me because I can actually pinpoint which Girl from Ames is My Girl from Hearst, ON, Canada! lol
Thank you for writing this amazing book! I will suggest it to all my girlfriends who don't end up getting it at this year's Christmas party!

Michelle
Hearst, ON, Canada
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I just finished reading the book and related to so much of it. I grew up and attended college in Nebraska, experiencing the same Midwestern culture. I am also about the same age as these women. My group of friends found each other in our freshman year in college. We had a gang of about 12 and we all went to the cafeteria together and had many fun times gathering in dorm rooms, relating events of the previous night's party. There were some people that found us annoying and maybe our group mentality made us obnoxious, at times. Over time, our numbers dwindled as we matured and maybe didn't have as much in common. I still think back fondly on those times we all spent together and some of those girls are still my best friends. We have talked about reunions but it is too difficult for everyone to coordinate busy lives and that is sad. I do know that these are the friends that would hop on a plane to help me in a crisis and that is a bond I cannot replicate in friends I have met later in life.