Praise for STRONGER

“When I heard about STRONGER, I was in heaven. The history, science, and practice of lifting weights, all in one place? That’s my kind of book! It tells the inspiring stories of athletes and scholars such as my friend Jan Todd, the pioneer of women’s powerlifting, and it shows the powerful research that proves that building strength and muscle could be a type of medicine for all kinds of people. Even if you’ve never picked up a weight — STRONGER is for you. But be careful: Something tells me that by the time you finish, you’ll find plenty of reasons to try out resistance training.”

—Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, seven-time Mr. Olympia, and bestselling author of The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding and Be Useful

“STRONGER is at once a meditation on the relationship between soul and body and a practical guide to growing old. It is thoughtful, richly reported, and totally compelling. The first thing I did after finishing it was buy a set of weights.”

—Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

“I started lifting weights in 1956, when I was fourteen. When STRONGER is in readers’ hands, I’ll be eighty-three—I’ll still be lifting. From the Histories by Herodotus to Pumping Iron—from ancient Greece to Arnold Schwarzenegger—this is the enlightening history of weight training. I’m a full-time writer. I spend every day sitting on my glutes. Do your glutes a favor—read STRONGER.”

—John Irving, National Book Award-winning author of The World According to Garp, Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Cider House Rules, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Chairlift

“Through meticulous research and first-rate storytelling, STRONGER will reshape how you think about health, longevity, and what matters as we age. Cardio, core, yoga exercises—sure they're good for you. But this book shows how developing and maintaining muscle might just be the most important thing a person can do to preserve and protect their health.”

—Guy Raz, creator and host of the podcasts How I Built This and Wow in the World, and author of the New York Times bestselling books inspired by both podcasts

“STRONGER is a pioneering narrative—a fascinating exploration, years in the making, of a hugely important part of human life and culture. It raises the question that great books do: Why has this not been written before?”

—William Langewiesche, author of American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center and Aloft: Thoughts on the Experience of Flight

“In these burning times, STRONGER offers a reminder that we can still have influence on the most vital and intimate world we inhabit from cradle to grave: our bodies. Reading it, one has to wonder, who wouldn’t want to be strong?”

—Rick Bass, author of With Every Great Breath: New and Selected Essays and the Story Prize winner For a Little While: New and Collected Stories

Events

February 13: Hanover, New Hampshire—Dartmouth College

February 28-March 2: Columbus, Ohio—The Arnold Sports Festival

March 11: Austin, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin guest lecture

April 2: San Francisco, California—Commonwealth Club, conversation with Guy Raz

April 22: St. Louis, Missouri—St. Louis Public Library