Book Review of
One Tough Mother

Author: Gert Boyle

Genre(s): Business and Time Management Memoirs

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Lynn's Review

One Tough Mother by Gert Boyle was published in 2005.

I have had One Tough Mother in my to be read stack for a while. A reader recently recommended it to me, so I moved it to the top of the stack.

One Tough Mother is the story of Gert Boyle’s journey from escaping Nazi Germany to the head of Columbia Sportswear. It is a pretty amazing story.

After escaping Nazi Germany, Gert’s family settled in Portland, Oregon. Her dad started a hat company that would later become Columbia Sportswear. Gert, who had been a stay at home mom while her husband and father ran the company, took over the company after her husband died.

Gert and her son, who was in college, built Columbia to the international brand it is today.

I loved business books and knew I would enjoy this one. I grew up in Oregon, not far from the Columbia River, but I knew nothing about the history of Columbia Sportswear, so that made this read even more fun for me.

If you enjoy books about businesses, inspirational stories, or love Columbia Sportswear I think you will enjoy this one.