Life in a Shoe

Book excerpt: Life in a Shoe is three stories all in one. It's a memoir of Norman Finn's adventures around the world as well as a history of the shoe industry. It delves into the world of the individual entrepreneurs and corporate structures. These stories from the business and fashion worlds take place in different settings--from the mill buildings of New England to the hills of Tuscany, Brazil and the world of Taiwan, China. There are lessons to be learned by being spectator to the politics, and insights into the participants, situations, and the growth and scope of these events. The charismatic and marvelous people discussed in Life in a Shoe who no longer work among us bring back an era that will never return, one that was rich with talent, individuality, and resourcefulness. There is a rhythm to Life in a Shoe that lets you sit beside the participants and their events and become part of these times, at least for the moment. Life in a Shoe makes you laugh and wonder how all of this could have occurred to a man who led more than just an interesting life.