Sisterhood of the Squared Circle

“I remember years ago I was at the Cauliflower Alley Club and Paul Boesch pointed out Clara Mortensen to me, saying she was the world champion of women’s wrestling before Mildred Burke. At that time, most people didn’t know there was women’s wrestling before Moolah. Boesch told me about names that almost nobody knew or remembered. Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy, in their book, change all that, as they tell the story of how women’s wrestling was born, grew, changed, and had its ups and downs all over the world. Sisterhood of the Squared Circle tells you about the stars of today who you may know and the stars who built the sport but are mostly unknown to modern fans.” — Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer“Laprade and Murphy, both veteran wrestling journalists, do an excellent job guiding readers chronologically through the ups and downs of women’s wrestling … Fascinating sports history.” — Booklist“A concise, yet encyclopedic compendium of the past, present, and future of women’s wrestling, Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is an essential addition to the home libraries of astute wrestling aficionados. We give it 4.5 out of five suplexes.” — Pro Wrestling Illustrated“Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is absolutely a must read for most fans … it is more than likely — and justifiably so — to be at or very near the top of the best wrestling books of the year … Laprade is becoming one of the top tier authors in the pro wrestling genre.” — Wrestle Book Review“Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy’s Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is full of anecdotes and trivia from over a century of wrestling.” — National Post“If there was a Master degree class on women’s wrestling, Laprade and Murphy’s book would be its textbook.” — All Wrestling“All of the women they feature are written as the powerful, respected warriors that they were then and are now… Fighting ‘like a girl’ never sounded so good.” — SLAM! Wrestling“Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy have delivered one of the most enjoyable and educational wrestling books I’ve read in a while… Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is a solid book and a must read for fans who love the history of this business.” — Eat Sleep Wrestle“Informative, entertaining and at times, even heart wrenching, Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is mandatory reading not just for wrestling fans but for everyone… Through original interviews and previous research, with a great assist from the critically acclaimed Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling documentary, Laprade and Murphy have made an essential contribution to pro wrestling.” — Wrestledelphia.com“When Laprade and Murphy delve into the history of Women’s Professional Wrestling we see that the characters and stories are at least as fascinating as their male counterparts. With over a hundred wrestler profiles this is a must read for anyone who ever loved wrestling.” — The Interrobang

Pat Laprade has been involved in pro wrestling for 15 years and has contributed to many women’s wrestling promotions, including SHIMMER and Femmes Fatales. He co-wrote Wrestling Observer’s 2013 book of the year Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs as well as a biography of Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon. He lives in Montreal, Quebec. Dan Murphy has been a writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated since 1997 and has overseen PWI’s annual female 50 ranking since its inception in 2008. He lives in Buffalo and has written four books on the history of his native western New York. Trained in the legendary Hart Dungeon, Natalya is a former WWE Women’s Champion. She lives in Tampa, Florida.