About the book
When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.
In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.
As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.
In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.
About the author:
Renée Rosen is the USA Today bestselling author of Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, The Social Graces, Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants, and Dollface. Renée lives in Chicago.
My review:
#LetsCallHerBarbie #NetGalley
Barbie…just the name is enough to form the picture of this her in the reader’s mind. She is a doll that has both been embraced and vilified, perhaps even both at the same time for some. Now, she is so much a part of popular culture, it is difficult to remember that once there was no Barbie.
Author Renee Rosen has written a detailed, intriguing and complex story about Barbie and her creators. She has brought the historical people to life, especially Ruth and Jack (more below), Elliot and Charlotte, to name a few. She also has created fictional characters including Stevie who interacts with all of the historical figures.
I learned so much about the toy industry, how toys go from plans to reality and how this applied specifically to Barbie, in these pages. Ruth had a vision and it took her and engineer Jack much work and many years before Barbie was brought to the market. It is intriguing that Ruth saw Barbie as a source of freedom for girls. She wanted them to have a doll that offered more to them than imagining becoming a mother and wife.
It was intriguing to think of the real fashion designers who made the clothes and why Barbie has her dimensions. It was fascinating to find out how many tries it took to get Barbie just right.
Both Ruth and Jack were quite complex individuals. Readers learn that Ruth’s mother did not want to raise her. They find why work was so critical for Ruth and the ways in which this impacted her children and husband. Jack, also was complicated. Readers learn that he had some mental health issues with which to struggle.
Over the course of the novel, readers learn about both the triumphs and lows of these characters so that is there is no fairy tale. All of this is part of the characters’ life stories.
In her afterword, Rosen notes that she had wanted to write this novel before the Barbie movie was released. The movie will undoubtedly bring readers to this novel but, in my opinion, this excellent book stands very well on its own.
Highly recommended to readers of historical and women’s fiction. Of course, those who are already interested in Barbie will flock to this but, even if a reader is not a Barbie aficionado, there is much in these pages.
I was so delighted to be asked to read and review this title. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 21 January 2024
Editorial Reviews
Review
“What a fresh and fun take on Barbie lore! Let’s Call Her Barbie pulls off a feat: while digging deep into the history behind America’s favorite doll, it’s also a clever and satisfying exploration of creativity, feminism, and what it truly means to make art. And although the movie and the book are unrelated in this case, and the movie was fantastic… you know what they always say about the book being better.”
—Shelby Van Pelt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
“Think you know Barbie? Think again, in this delightful, fast-paced, compassionate, and well-researched story, Renee Rosen skillfully takes everything you think you know and turns it on its head, telling us the real story of the feisty, strong, original woman who created America’s most loved and most hated doll. Choose this one for your book club if you want the conversation to flow. I promise you everyone will want to talk about this excellent and fascinating book.”
—Elizabeth Letts, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ride of Her Life
“The story of how Barbie came to be is as iconic as the doll herself. Renee Rosen’s research and deft writing bring Barbie – and those who brought her into the world – to vivid pink life and make Let’s Call Her Barbie a riveting read for anyone who loves historical fiction, strong women (real and otherwise), Barbie the doll, Barbie the movie, or stories about the American dream. As an avid lover and collector of Barbies – at a time when society often looked as harshly at me as it once did the doll – this story spoke to my heart and spirit and made me love my beloved Barbies even more. The first must-read of 2025! It’s DOLL-ing!”
—Viola Shipman, USA Today bestselling author of The Page Turner
“Bold. Tenacious. Resolute. Renee Rosen’s Let’s Call Her Barbie vividly brings to life the incredible journey of Ruth Handler, the woman behind the iconic doll. Through impeccable research and masterful storytelling, Rosen captures Handler’s fierce determination and the challenges she faced as a woman breaking barriers in a male-dominated world. Impossible to put down, this is a riveting portrayal of a flawed yet awe-inspiring visionary. I thought I knew Barbie’s story, but Rosen’s unflinching portrayal of the doll’s meteoric rise, and the players behind it, proves there’s much more to this tale. An absolute must-read.”
—Karma Brown, #1 international bestselling author of What Wild Women Do
“Renée Rosen’s novel about the creators of the Barbie doll is inspired and brilliant. This is a tale of driven personalities who won’t take no for an answer, of the obstacles that faced women in business in the mid-20th century, and of the complex relationships between creatives working in a team. As a former Barbie girl myself, I was riveted!”
—Gill Paul, international bestselling author of Scandalous Women
“Rosen vividly portrays her characters and deftly balances covering both the highs and lows of their personal lives and the professional challenges that arise along the way, from designing the first Dreamhouse to responding to criticism…With cultural interest in Barbie still sky high, this novel is a great choice for historical fiction readers interested in strong, complex women, both in and out of the toy aisle.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“A fictional retelling of Barbie’s origin story, from Ruth’s first brainstorm until she leaves Mattel in the 1970s, Rosen’s novel is infused with pathos and wit.”
—Kirkus
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