Let My People Go Surfing

There's some interesting stuff here but it's shoved between hypocritical self-aggrandizement (so much disdain for “businessmen” while simultaneously describing himself as the same thing in different words), weird takes on science (in one breath bragging for creating polyester garments; in the next ranting about the risks of nuclear power and GMOs), and company promotion. Some thoughts about what a business can do to be responsible in the modern world, some thoughts about what humankind can do to stem the tides of climate change ... these were good things. But they were delivered in weird patches and at times filled with assertions that made many assumptions I wasn't willing to make.

He has a weird relationship with science. And he says “dirtbag” a lot in a context that I'd never heard before, but I guess that's a thing.

While I don't agree with everything in this book (namely the stance on GMO), I do agree with the vast vast majority of it.

We need less stuff. We should buy less stuff. And what we do buy should be of as high quality as we can afford so it lasts longer and provide us with greater joy.

As the common saying goes: I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things. Or as one of my idols Dieter Rams would say: Weniger aber besser (less but better).

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, after the first part, which tells the history of the company and is genuinely interesting, it becomes a sort of internal marketing pamphlet. It's a bit too shallow and not enough self reflective, in my opinion. The company has some great initiatives and philosophy, but then it still makes their products in poor countries with child labor. Not to mention the not-so-ecofriendly environmental cost of overseas shipping. It's not people in Bangladesh who are buying $500 jackets. Go, buy some local brands made in your area. They will have the same performance but will be really eco-friendly.