Finished: The Girls From Ames (Zaslow) A great book and true story about the fortitude of the lifelong friendship of women! Thank you to my friend, Nancy Shearer, for lending it to me to read! The women, from Ames, Iowa, all grew up together in Ames. They remained friends...continuing to find time for regular reunions, even after reaching their 40's, moving to different cities and states, having children, jobs, etc. Through several heartbreaking events, they were there for each other...and through happy times too. They were typical teenagers in the late 70's, though, and also had their share of spats with each other, talking about each other, liking each other's boyfriends, etc. Through it all, though, nothing could weaken their friendship. I verbally lamented "noooooooo", when they lost Sheila, one of the group, at 22. So tragic, and so young. :-(  And, I was especially moved by the story of the death of one of their 13 year old daughters from leukemia. It was so difficult to read about, especially since one of the dear friends that Nancy and I are a "group" with lost her own daughter almost two years ago to "pre-leukemia". You want to always think that miracle bone marrow transplant will work...but they just don't always work. Bless the hearts of mothers and daughters everywhere! Anyway...reading this book made me doubly thankful for all my girlfriends, in and out of the "group". :-) The author says that women stay friends for far longer than guys, and I kinda tend to agree! Thanks for passing the book along, Nancy, and for your friendship these past....hmm....22ish years!