Women and Water: Stories of Adventure, Self-Discovery, and Connection in and on the Water

by Gale Straub, Noel Russell, Hailey Hirst

Women and Water is a visually driven celebration of women who love nature, adventure, and water sports.

This inspiring collection combines breathtaking photography with powerful narratives from women who swim, surf, kayak, study glaciers, advocate for water conservation, carry forward their ancestral fishing traditions, and more. Collected by the team at She Explores, a media company and community that celebrates women in the outdoors, these first-person stories explore themes of independence, strength, healing, and self-discovery in nature.

Helpful how-tos on everything from cold water swimming to taking underwater photos are interspersed throughout the book, making it easy for readers to get outside and get their feet wet. The result is a joyful tribute to the strength women exude in and on the water in a beautiful, chunky volume that makes an empowering gift for teenage girls, new graduates, and outdoorsy women of all ages. 

NEW TAKE ON WOMEN'S This collection presents a fresh angle on women's empowerment by focusing on women's relationships to water. The adventure- and water-themed content makes this book a perfect gift for the surfer, sailor, angler, or swimmer in your life.

CELEBRATES Women and Water celebrates a wide range of voices and perspectives. The stories in these pages come from women of different ethnicities, physical abilities, body types, and ages. The diverse content welcomes women who are often left out or underrepresented in mainstream outdoor media.

CONNECTION TO AN INCLUSIVE She Explores is an accessible community that's deeply respected in the outdoor world with a significant and devoted online following. This follow-up to their first book, She Explores, offers fans new ways to engage with the platform's empowering and inspiring content. 

THE NEW NATURE Spending time in nature is an increasingly popular way to relieve stress and anxiety, and studies have shown the healing benefits of immersing yourself in the natural world. This book celebrates nature as a place for self-discovery, wellness, and connection.

Perfect divers, surfers, paddleboarders, sailors, ice skaters, kayakers, anglers, marine biologists, conservationists, engineers, ecologists, and geoscientistsNature enthusiasts, ocean lovers, adventure travelers, and armchair travelersShoppers looking for an empowering gift book for teenage girls, young women, college grads, or family or friends celebrating milestone birthdaysFans of Wild, Strong is the New Pretty, Soul Surfer, and In the Company of WomenFollowers of the She Explores website, podcast, and community

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Sports

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book. It's so beautiful, there's so many beautiful pictures, the stories are lovely - the women are true heroes, to the earth, their sports, to water. I love water, and having a book full of women and their stories who also love water is a dream. Also the pages feel really nice. And have I mentioned the pictures are absolutely beautiful.

A very huge, sincere thank you to the publishers and Goodreads for my giveaway copy. Thank you to the writers and editors who composited the book. And thank you to each of these women and humans who shared their story with me.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

This is an entertaining book with interesting stories and vivid pictures. Readers are sure to learn a few things here as well from women of diverse backgrounds.

[Ashley Reel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book to read with your morning coffee. Thoughtful reflections. Wonderful imagery. I wish the photos had included place names.

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well thought out coffee table book. Loved it even more than the first book put out by She Explores. I still wish that they would acknowledge or maybe even talk about the financial barriers to water/outdoor recreation, and I would still reccomend this book.

[Hannah Lovik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice collection of stories from women all over the world in different spaces involving water, sports, and conservatism. Reading on an iPad probably isn’t ideal for these photo collections but it was very interesting and easy to read. Got this in a goodreads giveaway and enjoyed it!

[Kayla Heffner · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I received an advance copy from NetGalley***
As someone who has enjoyed the she explores podcast for years and who enjoyed the first book they released, I was thrilled to discover a second book was being released. I enjoyed reading this book. It reiterated what I truly believe about nature and water, that nature doesn’t care how we come to it. How we look and who we are doesn’t mean anything to the ocean or to an alpine lake. I believe we are most ourselves in nature. I often found my inner voice when reading this book to be that of the ones on the podcast that I know and listen to often. If you are passionate about the outdoors and our waterways and preserving them this is the book for you. I loved the photographs which were stunning and I loved that they included action steps the reader can take to engage our waterways. The book had stories of real people and how they spend their time with water. It was accessible to everyone at all levels which is one of the reasons I loved it so much. This book emphasized everyone belongs in the outdoors and also the importance of conservation and engaging in responsible ways. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be ordering a physical copy for myself once the book is released.

[Chelsea Kowal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful, well-written book is my sixth book of the year (2023). The photography is phenomenal and breath-taking. The writing for each person introduced in this book is short yet very educational. I read this book in only a few hours but I learned so much. I never would have thought to write a book about the feminine experience of water. I do not think I will ever think about water in the same way. I have a much deeper respect for the water system on our planet as well as throughout the universe.

While each woman’s experience was different and unique, there were strings of similarity strewn throughout this book, namely climate change. In nearly every story, there was some mention about global warming and its effects on our world’s water system.

I enjoyed that this book looked at the feminine experience of water from all points of view of the feminine experience in general, including those who identify as LGBTQ+. I really appreciated that, as our society changes even though water generally remains the same. I also liked that there were all different races, ethnicities and cultures featured. This made for a truly remarkable experience reading this book.

I would definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Gale Straub (the author) and Chronicle Books (publisher) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women and Water, by Gale Straub, Hailey Hirst, and Noël Russell, delivers on all of the promises in the book description about empowerment and inclusiveness. It does so far beyond its target readership of women.

I am a male, so I am used to seeing men portrayed in the outdoors, and just about everywhere else, so I can't offer a firsthand assessment of this book as empowering in that regard. That said, it certainly seems to me that it would be, since it inspired me as well. The stories of these women make this a deeply personal read, and there are a lot of useful tips and ideas that will benefit anyone who might also take to the water, or the outdoors in general.

This is also a very attractive book, both the text and the pictures will keep you engaged. The strength and perseverance of so many people, of which this book highlights a good number, never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

I would highly recommend this, and I especially think it would make an ideal gift for anyone, but particularly young women, who might have a love of water, the outdoors, and life itself.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories about strong women and their connection to Mother Earth through water. It's reassuring to see so many people are working to make this world a better place.

Some of the stories brought me back to the main message of the book Sounding by Hank Searles from 1980s: We are all connected on this Blue Marble and we need to take care of it together. And the idea of the 'Ocean of Thought.'

One of the women in the book said it best: In a section called 'The Way Water Connects Us' by Dani Reyes-Acosta she wrote—"the recognition that all our struggles are intimately connected—it’s important to identify the ways we can show up for all communities. B/c unless we’re thinking about everyone, then we’re really just thinking about ourselves, and that kind of mindset doesn’t serve anyone."

[Craig Strang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of 1-2 page first person vignettes from dozens of women from around the country and the world, with many different identities, mostly PoC, accompanied by beautiful and unusual photographs. The women are scientists, educators, surfers, paddle boarders, environmental justice activists, SCUBA and free divers, a wilderness figure skater, fishers, photographers, mermaids, swimmers, ice bathers and ice climbers. Best part: one of the vignettes is by San Francisco’s own Olivia VanDamme!

[Alisha Copas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative about the different ways to interact with water, how to interact safely if you decide to try out some of the water activities, also gives tips on water photography, and the different ways women are trying to make the water activities more inclusive for everyone. The pictures in this book are stunning! I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it if you enjoy the outdoors.

[Nat's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative and fun read. As someone who personally loves any kind of water and always feels such a deep connection with it, this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed reading each individual woman's story and seeing their own personal connection with water.
I think this book would be great for any woman out there looking to find peace in nature.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely photos throughout the book help to bring the short stories from women to life; too often we only see men depicted outdoors. The reminders of our climate crisis interwoven with our connnectedness to water really held the stories together. There were great additional tidbits to be learned as well. Enjoyable, relatable and easy-to-read.

[Dania Janakat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept a constant smile on my face. As I read the stories of women describing their bond with the water element, I saw reflections of my own experiences. It was a beautiful reminder that we are all connected to her, that all waters carry a shared feminine essence that I deeply respect. I was delighted to find so many lines that felt like my own thoughts put into words.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to good reads for sending me this give away. An outdoor adventure with something for every one. Even if you aren't a swimmer or water person there's healing activities by just being with nature.

[Nelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thankful grateful to have discovered that SheExplores community a few years ago. I’m continually inspired by the stories they share on the podcast and cherish the printed ones like in this book.

[Nichols Britani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. My granddaughter and I loved this book

[Iris McFarlin]

lovely, inspiring, feels like going home when I dip into the pages

[Sophie Mirgaux de Pina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring stories of extraordinary women. I'd love to meet all of them!

[Lia-lucine Cideciyan cary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Collection felt a little random

[gabriella · Rating 3 out of 5]

storytelling lacked but the graphics were great

[Toni Olivieri-barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays and photography that every woman (young or old) should read. Diverse and inspiring. I read on kindle and kind of want a hard copy of this one. Highly recommend

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very pretty book and concept, but there’s only so much you can read about water 😂

[Franchesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An empowering, inspiring book full of beautiful photographs and the stories of a diverse array of women doing a wide variety of activities in and on the water, as their livelihoods, for fun and adventure, to learn and teach others, and more. With tips on observing aquatic environments, taking pets to the water, how to shoot photographs underwater, creating art to help better understand our climate, introducing children to water, safety tips, and resources that can help you find work on the water. A fun and uplifting, informative read. I have always loved the water, with swimming being one of my all time favorite activities, and now I feel even more inspired and anxious to get out there and explore and play.

I won this big, beautiful book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Bellatuscana Bellatuscana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay but the picture book was probably more than the audiobook. My favorite parts were about Florida Springs and Jackson, Wyoming!