Isn't it fun to reminisce? That's what the ladies of GIRLS MOST LIKELY do, covering the five decades from their elementary school years until the present. They share their secrets about growing up as middle-class African American girls in the turbulent '60s and '70s, graduating from college in the post-women's rights and free sex era, and navigating their way through the obstacle course of life, love, parenthood, and careers from the "Dress for Success" '80s through the new millennium. Audrey, Reenie, Su, and Vaughn evoke laughter as well as tears as they relate their stories using their high school class reunions as the backdrop.

As I read this book, the very thing that drew me in at times drove me crazy. The amount of minute detail occasionally seemed overdone. I wanted to move on, to get to the next big event in the lives of these four women but then again, that might be because I grew up a middle-class African American girl. My friends and I experienced many of the same situations that the GIRLS MOST LIKELY did. Heck, I could have written GIRLS MOST LIKELY. (I wish I had.) So that detail, which brought an enjoyable richness to the story, kind of like whipped cream on top of an ice cream sundae, sometimes got in my way. I'm not complaining though because I enjoyed the ride down memory lane. Little things I had forgotten came crashing back as I turned page after page. Ms. Williams paints an excellent portrait of this particular slice of life.

If you didn't grow up as a middle-class African-American girl, don't despair! You will still love the escapades of these four women. Many of their concerns—coping with a broken family, dealing with betrayal at the hand of a close friend, hiding an unexpected pregnancy, helping a friend with an eating disorder, surviving martial discord, trying to attain perfection in a world that views you as less than simply because of your gender—are universal. So are their triumphs.

Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable! You won't be sorry. GIRLS MOST LIKELY is worth the trip.