In praise of the 'Modesto Girls'

Zocalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews has a big family, and when they meet up for reunions, there’s a gaggle of sisters – cousins on his mom’s side - who are inevitably at the center of things. Collectively, they are known as the Modesto Girls. Mathews says the Modesto Girls have shown an unusual degree of loyalty to their home town, and to one another. That’s meant making some lifestyle sacrifices. But it’s also left them far richer than most when it comes to personal relationships.