Persuasive ... Slade’s book gives a granular sense of just how hard it is for business owners, particularly those in manufacturing, to do the right thing by their workers in America today. It also conveys just how meaningful and rewarding building a truly ethical business can be ... Though the narrative wanders too often into digressions — like a numbered list of the 13 steps in just one phase of the construction of a hoodie — its broader political resonance is potent and timely.
Her book benefits from extraordinary access, providing an up-close look at the challenges of manufacturing ... Slade’s key insight, and possibly the strongest argument for reviving domestic manufacturing, is that it is how we innovate.
It’s disingenuous to pretend that a handful of mom-and-pop companies sewing hoodies and socks point the way to the revival of manufacturing in the U.S.
Readers of this engaging story will find themselves rooting for the plucky couple, and there can be no doubt that the success of American Roots is attributable to the energy of its founders.
...both provides a wealth of background information on the rise and fall of manufacturing in America and tells a story of rebellious entrepreneurship, one full of hope, determination, and the American spirit.
If Slade had been willing to tell the story in straightforward terms, this would have been a more readable, engaging book. A sometimes illuminating but uneven examination of the current state of American manufacturing.
