On Saturday, May 20 at 2pm, Old Capitol Books hosts local historian and teacher, Kyle Elizabeth Wood, who has written the only authorized biography of the first female captain of industry in the U.S., Tillie Lewis, entitled Tillie Lewis: The Tomato Queen.

The life of Tillie Lewis was entwined with many major historical events. From the impoverished tenements of Brooklyn, New York of 1896 to a global life of luxury, Tillie willed herself through World Wars, the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, Korea, and into global politics.

From Ziegfeld showgirl to California’s Empress of Agricultural, Tillie Lewis teaches us all that finding success means opening doors for others no matter the cost. This book is a glorious ride though the history of what made Tillie Lewis, all the while hailing the events that created the Greatest Generation.