Thirteen Women Strong chronicles the 2006-07 season of the Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team. A year after NKU powered their way to an outstanding 28-5 record, expectations were sky-high for the team as they welcomed back all five starting players. Led by a core of upperclassmen and revered head coach Nancy Winstel, the NKU Norse expected a run to glory, much like their NCAA Division-II title in 2000.

Author Robert K. Wallace was granted unparalleled access to the team that consistently overcame adversity. Wallace followed the team through practices, drills, emotional meetings and of course, the heart-stopping, competitive play. He also includes interviews with the players themselves, revealing their motivations and desires. Despite beginning with losses in four of their five conference games and losing their All-American center to a devastating injury, NKU rallied to yet another remarkable season. Thirteen Women Strong welcomes readers into the lives of young women whose world is made up of equal parts pressure and accomplishment.

Robert K. Wallace, Regents Professor of Literature at Northern Kentucky University, is the author of numerous books.

Reviews:

"Dr. Wallace's narrative is sprinkled with insightful literary gems--literary 3-pointers, if you will--that charm the reader and lift this story above the plethora of 'as told to' books on sports celebrities and star-crossed seasons."--J. Patrick Moynahan, Vice Provost, Northern Kentucky University

"This fluid, eloquent tribute to the joys and sorrow often associated with the learning process offers a variety of life lessons for everyone, especially young adults searching for identity and purpose, through the grace and powers of thirteen student-athletes who grow physically, emotionally, and intellectually on nearly every page."--Ron Ellis, editor of Of Woods & Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader

"The personal dynamics as these girls developed into a team and as they face the pressure of tournament play, the place of womens athletics on the college campus and in the world of NCAA Division II, and Winstels philosophy of coaching and her leadership style make this an important contribution in the literature of college sports."Kentucky Kaleidoscope