Let's Call Her Barbie

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. This was an unputdownable, well-researched historical fiction that blurred the lines between fact and fiction in a fascinating multi-layered story. It tells how the Barbie doll was created, how Ruth Handler originated the vision of Barbie and was the motivator behind the cultural phenomenon. It’s also the story of the Mattel Corporation, from its 1945 origins as a two-person toy developer to a multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company. And it's Ruth’s personal story, as well as the story of Jack Ryan, engineer and Barbie co-developer. And fictional designer Stevie Klein also plays a major role in rounding out the various themes of the book. My sister and I had one of the earliest Barbies, and reading about her development was fascinating – the behind-the scenes inspiration, the mechanical manufacturing as well as the marketing, the clothes and accessories – this was riveting. As Barbie’s success grew, so did the Mattel company, and the story of the company’s development, with its ups and downs, was also engrossing. Alongside the business aspects, author Rosen told the personal stories of Ruth, Jack and Stevie. Sometimes they were working together, sometimes in competition, but always with Mattel and Barbie’s success as motivating factors. I found myself rooting for Ruth throughout the novel. She was a nontraditional woman of the time. I didn’t know her motivation for creating Barbie was to set a new example for young girls, to “show them a different road they can walk down, one where marriage and children could be a stop along the way rather than a foregone conclusion, and definitely not the end of their journey.” A feminist theme runs throughout the novel as Rosen repeats Ruth’s desire for Barbie “to connect with all those little girls out there. She wanted Barbie to be their role model and show them what it meant to be feminine and strong. That if they want to get married and have children, that’s fine, but they can still have a life of their own. Barbie was supposed to deliver a new, fresh message for the next generation to grow into.” Whether or not you had a Barbie or saw the recent movie, this is an important book that tells the story of a strong woman who is determined to follow her vision of providing more career and lifestyle options for girls and young women. I highly recommend this one!