Read with Aesop’s

March Book Selection

The Strong Ones by Sara Hammel https://admin.shopify.com/store/aesops-fable/products/6553477841077

They said women couldn’t keep up.
They said women weren’t strong enough to do the military’s toughest jobs.
In 1995, a ragtag band of civilians came to prove them wrong.

We think reading The Strong Ones by Sara Hammel is the perfect way to celebrate Women’s History month.  This is the true story of a study that was done in Massachusetts in the 90’s to determine whether women should be allowed in combat positions within the military.  Whether you are a local history fan or could just use a good dose of girl power, this book is for you!

The Strong Ones is the inspiring true story of forty-five civilian women, including the author, who volunteered for a controversial seven-month Army strength study in 1995-and proved just how strong women can get. A hybrid of memoir and military history that will appeal to fans of Wild and Ashley’s War, The Strong Ones lays bare the raw emotions, vulnerabilities and body image struggles of those who dug deep to show what it means to be a strong woman-in every sense. With females still banned from combat and their supposed lack of physical strength used as a reason to keep them out, women from around Massachusetts—including moms, teachers, a landscaper, a prison guard, a journalist and one solider—came to change the rules. Female soldiers were busy serving their country so these civilians stepped in, forming a sisterhood like no other through 75-lb backpack hikes, 110-lb trailer pulls, shared pain, keg parties, snowball fights and a refusal to fail.

And if you need another reason to pick up this book, here’s a fun fact… one of the test subjects and one of the trainers met during this study, fell in love, got married and moved to Holliston, MA (where they still reside) to raise their family!

We hope you will read with us this month – Pick up your copy of The Strong Ones at Aesop’s Fable during the month of March at 10% off.  Tell us what you think!