Body And Soul

by Anita Roddick

When The Body Shop International opened in 1976, on $8,000 in borrowed money, the phenomenal success of the business today would have appeared a pipe dream. Provocative, funny, and outrageous--Roddick tells her story, and expresses her unconventional views on hype, greed, caring and communion.

Genres: Biography, Business, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Womens, Autobiography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism. The company was one of the first to prohibit the use of ingredients tested on animals and one of the first to promote fair trade with third world countries.

Roddick was involved in activism and campaigning for environmental and social issues, including involvement with Greenpeace and The Big Issue. In 1990, Roddick founded Children on the Edge, a charitable organisation which helps disadvantaged children in eastern Europe and Asia.

Reviews

[Cathy Rosenberg]

Anita Roddick, was a brilliant business woman who figured out that magic formula for making money while making a difference in the world... mostly because the second of the two was her driving force. This will inspire anyone of any age. She founded the Body Shop and made that the huge success it is today because of her conviction to doing what she believed in.

[Melissa Marie]

One of the best books I picked out for holiday breaks. Maybe I am biased because I used to work for the company, but what Anita writes about in 1991 directly translates to how the business functions today. She was a lot quirkier than I thought she was but found her childhood stories, and descriptions of her TBS becoming a franchise, to be page-turning.

[Christine Banks]

I had a chance to meet Anita and she signed an original edition (is now out-of-print.) She passed away 5 weeks later....

A truly amazing woman, this chronicles her beginnings both personally and professionally. Recommended highly.

[OxoNewbie]

I read this as a teenager and found it hugely inspiring.

4 stars.

[Sarah Hamilton]

Anita was such an inspiration on how business should be done.

[Iñaki Amuchastegui]

Definitely inspirational and interesting to see how she built a business with values and sustainability. I am aware I'm reading this decades later, which makes some of it outdated. So it's not criticism of her, her work or legacy, which are very commendable, rather of the book, since I think the last 80 pages seemed a bit repetitive and preachy.

[Laura]

Fascinating book about the rise of The Body Shop but sad to see that it has just gone into administration.

[Vrinda]

read this in high school (though not in school itself) and recently remembered it

[Callie.Reads]

What's business if you aren't doing it for yourself? Very insightful read.

[Emma]

I wish Anita was still with us. The rage she would display at the state of our corporate culture and the world would be spectacular. Such a loss.

[Grace]

Anita Broddick was clearly ahead of her time. A fearless risk-taker, her decisions and programs are at the root of the current corporate social responsibility movement.

[Suzanna]

An interesting book by the founder of The Body Shop about the company's history and principles from the late 70s to the early 90s.

[Ginny Lyke]

Another must read by one of the greatest women of all time...

[Elizabeth]

Recommended by April