Naturally talented Ada Okere Agbasimalo remains richly endowed with that incredibly fertile imagination that drives her passion to connect with her immediate environment, and weave interestingly curious scenes, into big stories. Her deep knowledge of the themes of her works, pairs up with her rare gift in creative writing, to keep her readers spellbound; as she crafts suspense upon suspense, with such masterly control that you CANNOT put down her books. In this third book of hers, where she narrates her true life experience as a teenage girl caught up in the cross fire of war, she practically brings you, quite in subdued trepidation, face to face with the situation of reality. The author holds a doctorate degree in International Relations and had been an employee, in Nigeria, of the Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and COMPASS; both USAID sponsored. She also had a stint with Society for Family Health (SFH). Married with four children and two grandchildren, she is widely travelled and widely read. She is also the author of "Bow You Must" and "Waves of Destiny." "The Forest Dames is a pulsating story about the devastating effects of war, in which Ada Okere Agbasimalo dwells on the sordid consequences of civil war on humanity, and the tortuous effort to achieve normalcy. It features Deze, a young girl with a keen mind, who lived with her parents in a typical African setting, and felt the pain of war. As an adult, the memories remain intact, kind of haunting her. The Forest Dames is a strident voice detailing and condemning potential malignant actions that continue to impede the development of African nations and indeed, parts of the developing world. These include wars, culture-based biases, illogical and deadly tribal hatred, wanton destruction of life and property, etc. African and world leaders, politicians, historians, students and the general public should be awakened by this book. It is a must read." Samuel Ozurumba Ejiogu Esq. The Forest Dames is: - Designed to get war agitators to have a rethink. - A vivid and authentic literature for post war citizens anywhere in the world, and anybody for that matter. - A celebration of femininity. A motivation on how to move on. - A potpourri of cruelty, resilience, ingenuity, industry, commitment, hopes and aspirations. - A potent material for 'War and Gender' scholars. "The girls watched the women melt into the thick forest, through the same emergency pathway that had led them in. This time, there was no sound of water; there were no whispers, only footsteps on the path."