Strong Girls, Strong Women

Strong Girls, Strong Women, follows the paths of eight girls who remain friends from elementary school until their seventieth decade. This memoir documents the progression of these girls to becoming successful women. The overall message that is conveyed is applicable to all. The women who are chronicled in this book experience the joy of being in a school district that stressed competition and success and a neighborhood that functioned as a " family village." The book provides an inside look at the neighborhoods in which the "girls" were raised and the impact of integration and discrimination during the fifties and sixties. The neighborhood entertainment of roller skating, movies, dark basement parties and amusement parks are explored. The impact of those experiences and upbringing contributed to well-rounded adult women. The not so pretty aspects of life, such as unwed pregnancy, are also addressed. The memoir makes a strong case that many negative influences and obstacles can be overcome with other counterinfluences that surround young people. The eight girls referenced in the book became strong, resilient, successful women in cities throughout the country. They continue their elementary school bond in their senior years. The book is a manifesto for the principal that with the right influences and surroundings, one can overcome just about anything. A strong base of skills can sustain women and men well into their senior years.