Growing up gifted and working-class, Monica and Darci became fast friends. The girls bonded over a shared love of learning as they navigated the challenges of their declining town and tumultuous family lives. In the end, Monica left Clinton for university and fulfilled her dreams. Darci did not. Years later, working as a journalist covering poverty, Monica discovered the women in Arkansas' life expectancy had steeply declined - the sharpest such fall in a century. She returned to Clinton to report the story. As she reconnects with Darci, she finds that her best friend is now a single mother of two, addicted to meth and prescription drugs, jobless and nearly homeless. Monica retraces the moments of decision and chance in each of their lives that led such similar women toward such different destinies. Poignant and unforgettable, The Forgotten Girls is a story of coming of age as the American dream ends - and a new American classic.