![Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual by [Chouinard, Yvon]](http://web.archive.org./web/20190417202256im_/https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51CiAAWnJ7L._SY346_.jpg)
I loved this book so much. I loved the way Yvon talks us through his own personal history, and walks us through the history of the company. The sweet anecdotes about creative problem solving (i.e. How do you get a retailer who is very behind on payments to settle up? Send their next order (of scrap metal) COD)) were my favorite parts. I also loved being able to read the mission statements, particularly the one the senior team member cobbled together over lunch while they were on a retreat in Patagonia. I loved the way the book was written in conversational English. And I loved the excerpts from ads and the excerpts from that Alpine Climber's magazine. Such beautiful writing!
One note to Yvon/Patagonia suppliers: The commercial wool industry is BRUTAL. I like that you're selling recycled wool sweaters, and would love to see you totally abandon any partnerships with commercial wool farmers. In order to sheer sheep at a rate that's profitable (most get paid per sheep rather than by the hour) they have to hurry through the sheering process. That means lots of cuts for the sheep. Plus there are some types of sheep that are prone to parasites in the folds of their rear. In order to combat that, farmers simply slice off a chunk of that area so there are no longer folds. OUCH. Again, commercial wool farmers, BAD.
Sorry, I got off on a tangent. I loved this book. It held my attention all the way through. I had trouble putting it down, actually. Yvon's voice is very sweet and actually has inspired me to ask myself, am I doing all I can for the environment? AND am I working at a job/in an industry that I'm proud of? Could I be doing something more fulfilling (for my own quality of life, and the environment?).
Review
"Wonderful... a moving autobiography, the story of a unique business, and a detailed blueprint for hope." --Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
"For everyone who is alternately outraged and depressed by the wave of greed that has been the hallmark of corporate America in the twenty-first century, there is a name that inspires hope: Yvon Chouinard....Unique and compelling." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Chouinard's biography, Let My People Go Surfing, reveals a fascinating and colorful character....For all of our sakes, it seems the responsible thing for companies to do is follow Chouinard's ascent." --USA Today
"No matter what you do, you will find essential guidance and inspiration in Let My People Go Surfing." --Dave Foreman, The Rewilding Institute
"For everyone who is alternately outraged and depressed by the wave of greed that has been the hallmark of corporate America in the twenty-first century, there is a name that inspires hope: Yvon Chouinard....Unique and compelling." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Chouinard's biography, Let My People Go Surfing, reveals a fascinating and colorful character....For all of our sakes, it seems the responsible thing for companies to do is follow Chouinard's ascent." --USA Today
"No matter what you do, you will find essential guidance and inspiration in Let My People Go Surfing." --Dave Foreman, The Rewilding Institute
About the Author
Yvon Chouinard is the founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc., based in Ventura, California. He began in business by designing, manufacturing, and distributing rock climbing equipment in the late 1950s. His tinkering led to an improved ice ax that is the basis for modern ice ax design. In 1964 he produced his first mail-order catalog, a one-page mimeographed sheet containing advice not to expect fast delivery during climbing season. In 2001, along with Craig Mathews, owner of West Yellowstone's Blue Ribbon Flies, he started One Percent for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1 percent of their net annual sales to groups on a list of researched and approved environmental organizations.
