Tillie Lewis : The Tomato Queen

Kyle Elizabeth Wood documents the extraordinary life of Tillie Lewis from a child of poverty in New York’s tenements to the queen of the US agricultural industry who created products and jobs that saved many Americans through the great depression and beyond. Who was Tillie Lewis? Ziegfeld showgirl? Fascist spy? Super patriot? International pirate? Duchess of Diet? Tomato Queen? Tillie was an ethereal spitfire climbing the corporate ladder in a silk dress, high-heels, and pearls. She refused to give up her femininity while battling men and a society bent upon sending her out of the boardroom and back to the kitchen. Instead she created an agricultural empire that made her a global titan of industry. Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon, Vice President Hubert Humphrey sought her advice. Wood’s biography of this incredible, formidable woman who swam against the current of prejudice and adversity, shares her simple rules for success within these pages, along with the battles she lost and wars she won. Tillie was focused on success no matter what the cost. Her courage to forge new paths and refusing to be told no is an inspiration to all.