Good presentation, though a little preachy

I respect Patagonia and the fact that the company stands behind its values. I was hoping for more on the overall management of the company, not so much on this is what is wrong with the planet and let me give you a ton of statistics to back it up.

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From the Heart

I have a lot of respect for Yvonne Chouinard. He lived an amazing life and was mindful the entire way. after listening I yearn to climb mountains, to work in such an amazing company as Patagonia, to start an organic farm, and to practice Civil Disobedience. To think about life and put your thoughts to action.

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I hate it. You should still read it. But I hate it.

When I say I hate it, I don’t necessarily mean there isn’t anything good about it. I just, overall, hate it. I’ll break down the good and bad from my perspective.
Good:
You don’t have to conform to society’s standards in whatever it is you do. You don’t have to run your business or live your life the way Forbes or Instagram tell you to. It was cool to hear Yvon’s different means of doing things his own way in different aspects of business and life.

This book is very devout. I can find respect for anyone who chases after something with everything they’ve got until it becomes an obsession rather than a pastime or hobby.

The Bad:
I’ll start with just my critiques on the book purely from a content standpoint. The book’s format is basically to present Patagonia’s major company philosophies, why they’re that way, and why that way is superior. This is just a personal preference, but I enjoy narratives, and this book tends to avoid storytelling and opt for rants that run down various rabbit holes. There is certainly a thread of storytelling that runs throughout the book, but it’s a thin red strand that branches down gaping rabbit holes more often than not. Also that man said he ate cat food mixed with oatmeal. He just said that like it was normal. It is not.

Now to my gripes about the content itself. Goodness this book is self-righteous and preachy! If you’ve ever had an Amazon Prime account, opened a Robinhood account, thought nice things about dams or hydroelectric power, or bought food from anywhere other than the organic section, prepare to be personally blamed for global warming. Random companies and Christians catch stray bullets as well. How does a Christian not believing in evolution to the same extent that Yvon does result in global warming? I’m still not sure, but he did find two opportunities to complain about it.

The mail order catalog. HOW. MANY. TIMES. can this man mention his mail order catalog and how absolutely sweet it is in one book? If you walked away from this book with the impression that Patagonia is in the business of producing catalogs, I don’t think anyone could blame you. He talks about them almost equally as much as his first business.

It’s pretty easy to see that Yvon isn’t very fond of considering things from multiple perspectives. After reading Shoe Dog, I walked away thinking that perhaps I don’t understand everything about factory work in China and that perhaps I should study it further to better my understanding of the dynamics surrounding it. Or at the very least, I should be more critical in studying how factory conditions and wages have improved/declined since a large company began having goods produced there. After reading this book, I had to question if Yvon had ever once considered that he may be wrong about something that he was once passionately opposed to. I’m not saying he hasn’t, but I am saying he doesn’t do that in this book.

One last point, it’s pretty annoying how many times he basically says, “yeah I mean Patagonia also probably maybe sorta does more harm than good for the environment, but :( we :( feel :( sad :( about :( it :( and absolutely no other company on Earth feels sad about their damaging effects to the environment. Probably because they’re publicly traded companies. Also I don’t know the differences between class A and class B stock that would allow me to take my company public without actually letting shareholders tell me how to run my company, but I won’t let that stop me from bashing every single public company that exists. Other than Northface, of whom I will say neutral things.”

I am thankful Audible allows us to return books and exchange them for credits. I would feel very wasteful to have this sitting in my library collecting digital dust.

Also I do still recommend reading it (once). Clearly I think it sucks, but it’ll at least challenge your viewpoints on a few things and make you reflect on what you do, why you do it, and how you could do it in a way that makes other people and the planet’s lives better. Still sucks tho.

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Half and half not

The first half of this book was insightful, however the second half was too specific to clothing manufacturing or restatements of previous points.

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Rethink, Reuse, Reniew

In the first five minutes of listening to this book I knew it was going to change the way I think. Actually it took me back to thinking the way I did in the 1980s. Somehow through consumerism I developed a hopelessness for the environment, but this book has restored hope and belief that I can make a difference.

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A great look at how business can be used for good

A great read that I would recommend to any and every business owner, or entrepreneur, that gives a damn about the world they operate in. It is both a good adventure in how Patagonia came to be and a insightful journey about the founder Yvon and his deep rooted values that shape the company. This book will force you to critically examine your business and the impacts that it has on the world as a whole. There are also some very insightful ideas that can be applied to any business that desires to operate in a more "sustainable" manner. Yvon is an inspiring figure whom makes no excuses when critically examining his own company and holding it accountable for any impact that it has, both positive and negative. Patagonia is a role model that all businesses should look to aspire to. Yvon and this book have definitely inspired me personally and I think it will for you as well if you give it a chance.

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Must Read

A personal, yet totally relatable (and usable) manifesto on business, adventure, environment, and just being human. This book will help you see more clearly the right path forward in whatever it is you're doing.

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Stands out from other memoirs

Where does Let My People Go Surfing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better audiobooks I've listened to. There was a nice mix of storytelling and advice and wisdom. Not too dry.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Yvon Chouinard (the author and one of the only real characters in the book)

Have you listened to any of Christopher Grove and Yvon Chouinard ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book inspired me to try and be a more environmentally conscious person over all. It made me want to cut down on my consumption and rethink and reevaluate the way I look at clothing and the outdoors.

Any additional comments?

Great read, not just for people who want to learn about business or Yvon Chouinard.

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Good, but no shoe dogs

It's a very good book, and I like Patagonia. However, I would have liked to hear more about how the company got moving. I enjoyed hearing about what we need to do to fix our environment. I just felt like it should have been a different book. One for his management style, and one for his environmental philosophy.

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one of the most eye opening books I've ever read

I work in an entrepreneurship college, where every day I see co-workers, students, and business owners succomb to the pitfalls chouinard references. If I took one thing away from this book, it's that simplicity really will likely be our greatest innovation. "Turn around and take a step forward"

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