"The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship" by Jeffrey Zaslow tells the story of a group of women from Ames, Iowa. They had a special bond when they were young, and stayed close as they grew older and spread around the world. The book is a demonstration of the unique bond of female friendship.

Photos cover the table showing pictures of 11 girls mashed together. They have pictures of themselves as children, teens and adults. Now the women are 44-years-old, and they gather together every year or so to reminisce. They are the girls from Ames, Iowa. Their lives are very different from each other now, but together they share a past and a friendship that will last their entire lives.

This summer they are gathered at Angela's place for four days. Marilyn takes pictures of the reunion. The daughter of the town pediatrician, she has always been the responsible one of the group.

Karla struggles to fit in with the others. She needs her sleep and misses her children dreadfully. The girls remember Sheila, the one girl who never made it to womanhood after her tragic death in her early twenties.

Kelly is in the process of finalizing her divorce and doesn't want to talk about the lost of child custody. She knows her friends will dig deep into the heart of her problems, and she isn't ready for that yet.

The girls remember so many things—good and bad. As they raise their own children, they are reminded of some of the choices they made in the past. Looking back, they appreciated the adults in their lives. Friendships and romances also come to mind as they realize how honest they are around each other.

Growing older with a group of friends is a good thing. They are solid in who they have become, and some are making changes in their lives, pursuing venues they might not have considered decades earlier. Marilyn researches the death of her brother and contacts the man who caused the accident. She and her sister both let him know that things ended out all right for their families.

Mysteries in their lives are understood better. New maturity gives them the courage to go back and ask questions they would never have asked before. The girls find out more details regarding Sheila's death, and while they didn't learn the entire truth, the death doesn't appear as sinister as they initially thought.

Two of the girls battle cancer themselves. When this happens, the others come in to support them and offer comfort. Both beat the cancer. As their children grow older, they begin to meet each other and form their own friendships.

When the hard cover copy of this book comes out, all the Ames girls head back home for book signings. The people in Ames are very welcoming and supporting. The girls realize that people around the the world relate to, and are encouraged by their story and their friendship.