Skip to Main Content

Strong Like Her

A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes

Photographs by Sophy Holland

About The Book

This stirring and vibrant account of women’s athleticism throughout history “will leave readers feeling inspired and powerful” (Ms. magazine).

Part group biography, part cultural history, Strong Like Her delves into the fascinating stories of our muscular foremothers. From the first female Olympian (who entered the chariot race through a loophole) to the circus stars who could lift their husbands above their heads and make it look like “a little light housework with a feather duster,” these brave and brawny women paved the way for the generations to follow.

Filled with Sophy Holland’s beautiful por­traits of some of today’s most awe-inspiring ath­letes, including Peloton instructor Robin Arzón, bodybuilder Dana Linn Bailey, actress/dancer Patina Miller, and many others, Strong Like Her is “a love letter to muscles and the women who rock them so gloriously” (Shape).

About The Author

(c) Sophy Holland

Haley Shapley is a journalist whose writing has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Fodor’s, SELF, and many more. She has cycled 206 miles from Seattle to Portland, summited the highest glaciated peak in the continental United States, competed in a bodybuilding show, and finished a marathon. The author of Strong Like Her, Shapley lives in Seattle.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Gallery Books (May 9, 2024)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781982120863

Browse Related Books

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images