Author: Reiner Grootenhuis Date of Publication: Available in printed form and electronic format on amazon. There is a species of animal known as the Pilates Nerd also a line of cute Pilates clothing. Pilates Nerds get excited when a new piece of Pilates history is unveiled — a book, a letter, a photo or just any new information. Reiner Grootenhuis belongs to this Nerd species and I am a proud member as well. I greeted the news that Reiner had published a book about Carola Trier, the first woman to ever open a Pilates studio, with giddy excitement that typically characterizes Nerds.
I knew that Carola had operated her own studio while Joe was still alive, with his blessing. Both Romana and Kathy Grant had taught at the studio. But that was pretty much the sum total of my Carola knowledge. I relished the opportunity to learn more about this unique woman, and I was not disappointed.
In addition to her contributions to the Pilates world that should not be understated, Carola lived a fascinating life, overcoming overwhelming odds to survive and thrive during a period that was fraught with difficulty. Before I dive into a description of the book itself, a bit about its author. I knew Reiner from his Pilates Contrology forum, the first and largest Pilates facebook forum, with almost 12, members.
Reiner teaches and runs a certification program in his studio, Pilates Powers, in Germany, He has authored several Pilates manuals — armchair, Cadillac and reformer the reformer manuals have not yet been translated into English. Back to the book. One of the wonderful things about it is that much of the information within comes directly from Carola herself.
In researching the book, Reiner delved into the Carola S. The collection spans a timeline of five centuries and contains a wealth of information about Carola and her family, prominent Jews of German origin. Within the Carola Trier Collection are correspondence, periodical clippings, photographs more on those later and….. Some of this was handwritten; Reiner painstakingly deciphered the sometimes barely legible handwritten portions.
