Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book Award

Stronger will change what you think you know about strength and, most importantly, empower you to go on your own journey to discover what strength looks like for you.

'This book gives us permission to establish a healthy relationship with our bodies and strength' - Fearne Cotton, author of Happy

If you are the girl, the woman who feels like she is never enough, that she will never be as strong, as good, as capable, I am here to tell you that you are enough. You can write a different story.

Having gone from hating P.E. to becoming a powerlifter who can lift over twice her own bodyweight, Poorna Bell is perfectly placed to start a crucial conversation about women's fitness - one that has nothing to do with weight loss. In Stronger, she shows how all of us can tap into our inner strength and find the confidence that physical pursuits can amplify - the confidence that has been helping men to succeed for centuries - and that women can find too.

In this updated edition with a new introduction, Poorna tells not only her own story but those of a range of women, investigating intersections of race, age and social background. Part memoir, part manifesto, Stronger explodes old-fashioned notions about getting strong and explores the relationship between mental and physical strength.

Whether you're into weightlifting, running, swimming, yoga or don't consider yourself to be sporty at all, Poorna shows how finding strength can work for you, regardless of age, ability or background.

'A beautiful, inspiring book that will change the way you think about exercise. I only wish it had existed when I was younger.' - Bryony Gordon

A groundbreaking book about women's strength, inspired by author Poorna Bell's journey to get physically strong and the huge (and unexpected) ways in which it empowered her, gave her confidence and boosted her mental resilience.

About the Author

Poorna Bell is an award-winning freelance journalist of fifteen years and a digital editorial expert, having previously worked as UK Executive Editor and Global Lifestyle Head for HuffPost. She freelances for The Times, The i Paper, Grazia, The Guardian, Red magazine, and Stylist among others. She is the author of Stronger.

Poorna is an experienced public speaker across ministerial health summits, corporate and consumer events, including Twitter, Ad Week, NHS and Oath. She's also spoken on Channel 5, ITV and BBC News, as well as regularly on TalkRadio and BBC 5 Live.

Named one of Balance magazine's top 100 wellness personalities two years running, she's also been a judge for Mind Media Awards, Own Media Awards, British Book Awards, Sony World Photography and First Women.

Reviews
Raw and moving, Bell connects grief and strength and touches on the unrelenting pressure women face to be strong in a way that hasn't been tackled before. * Cosmopolitan *
A beautiful, inspiring book that will change the way you think about exercise. I only wish it had existed when I was younger. * Bryony Gordon *
This book gives us permission to establish a healthy relationship with our bodies and strength. * Fearne Cotton *
Poorna's story is one that will inspire women everywhere, tragedy showed her how strong she was inside which would in turn show her how strong she could become on the outside. -- June Sarpong
This amazing book reminds us all that we are stronger than we know. Poorna gives readers - whatever their age - the confidence to explore their inner and outer strength in such life-affirming style. * Stacey Solomon *
Poorna encapsulates in this book everything I wish I'd known and been told when I first started exercising. Stronger is a book for those who want to see beyond the aesthetic goals, and truly appreciate the mental and physical benefits of movement. * Alice Liveing *
I've not finished a book in less than a weekend in my entire life until Stronger. Poorna's book has reinvigorated my desire to see that every woman around the world touches a barbell. -- Kortney Olson, founder of Grrrl
Exploring both mental and physical empowerment, Stronger is an inspiring blend of memoir and manifesto, shaking off long-held, mistaken ideas about women and strength. -- The best books to look out for in 2021, Waterstones blog
I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this inspirational book. -- Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller
Poorna Bell is changing the conversation around women's fitness -- Metro
In this defiant and reflective memoir [Bell] examines ideas around women and strength, resulting in a challenging, positive and powerful call to arms. Muscled arms. -- The Guardian



Book Information
ISBN 9781529050844
Author Poorna Bell
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Bluebird
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 230g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 21mm