Overall, what did you think of Let’s Call Her Barbie? (no spoilers, please!)
I have always enjoyed Renee Rosen’s books so I was very excited to read this. I liked the book a lot but felt that there was no clear distinction between the actual people (Ruth & Elliot Handler, Jack Ryan, Charlotte Johnson and others) and the fictional designer, Stevie Klein. This was disconcerting to me especially since Stevie was such a minor character in the story. I think if the author had started out with Stevie’s backstory and morphed the story into Barbie development it would have worked better.
Victoria, I didn’t think of that, I like that as a different approach with Steve.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I knew very little about the background of Barbie, and yet she was a big part of my life growing up. I remember the Christmas I got a Barbie doll…it was the only thing I wanted.
I am going to look into the back catalogue of the author, I would be interested in reading more by her.
She is a very good author.
Victoria, First welcome to book browse. I tried to send the welcome…but oh, well…I think you will really enjoy BB…I have done if almost a year and I would recommend it.
It’s great to have a new author in nonfiction. Some nonfiction is too technical for me and I just can’t follow it. This was a balance of facts, interesting tidbits and a fun topic.
I recently got the book and am about 100 pages in and really loving it - I am finding it hard to put down! I grew up playing with Barbies and my love for them has never gone away (I am in my 60’s now). My love for them was re-ignited with the Greta Gerwig movie that came out a few years ago. I have also read non-fiction books on the making of Barbie so am enjoying how Renee Rosen is bringing these characters to life. I particularly love the strong women in this book! I look forward to reading more – stay tuned…
Hi Dee! I have been a member of Book browse for probably about 10 years. I owned a bookstore and found it invaluable for keeping me up to date on all things books. I have written a number of reviews and participated in book discussions many times before but this is the first time on the Community Forum. Jury is still out for me on whether I like it. I don’t find it particularly user-friendly, at least not yet. It is nice to have a group of kindred spirits around! Thanks for the welcome!
I think you’d probably call Rosen a Historical Fiction writer. Her books usually include a fictional protagonist who is involved with the historical character in some fashion. Her research around historical people and events is always spot on.
Victoria, I should have known you were not a newbie! You had an awareness of writing that showed in your comments that you are a thoughtful, well-read reader. I would not say that I am super user for the online book community. However, my 2025 goal was to give it a 100% shot and then evaluate it. I do think some of the questions have been thought provoking and having people that read the book are terrific, It has taken me some time, but I am now in a real life book club where the members read the book! I understand that others want book club for community and while I value that, I also want to discuss the book! Are you on goodreads? If so, do you want to be “friends” in goodreads? No pressure, I just am curious what you read. I am listed in goodreads with my full name, listed here,
Victoria, I do like historical fiction, but only with valid research. I read one author, and it was so fictionized that I felt she should have selected a different topic!
I also read literary fiction, classics and a few mystery books. How about you? I will read almost any genre, provided it is solid writing.
I also really enjoyed the book. I grew up with Barbie and didn’t know her history so I found this book very interesting as well as entertaining.
I’m also a big fan of Renee Rosen. But I thought LCHB is a stand-out! I was fascinated by the whole story. My wife had the 1st Barbie back in 1959, so that might have had a little to do with it. But I just liked everything about it. An easy 4/4 for me.
I enjoyed and highly recommend this historical read for others. I found this intriguing, captivating, and I found this to be very thought-provoking.
I was ok with it. I found Ruth exhausting and grew tired of her. But I did appreciate learning about the toy industry, the creation of new toys and the extreme competition. And I liked some of the other main characters and their creativity, especially around the design of Barbies clothes.
I found the book an easy and entertaining read. When it came to the intricacies of the characters’ lives I assumed it was more fiction than “historical” but learning about the product development, launch, and marketing of this iconic doll as well as public reaction was interesting.
I thought the book was fascinating and well-written. I was involved with the toy industry back in the 1970s and went to some of the presentations of new Barbies and her accessories at Toy Fair. By that time, Barbie was a huge success and Ruth Handler was an important role model for women in the industry.
This book tells her story and Mattel’s story from the beginning in a compelling and entertaining way. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it highly.
I was enthralled by the backstory, all the challenges to bring Barbie to the toy store shelves. I just listened to an interview with Renee Rosen discussing the third person omniscient POV. The print copy has pictures that really add to the narrative.
I loved the book. It brought back so many memories of playing with her. I enjoyed looking back at that time in my life through the eyes of those who invented the doll that changed the way America looked at “baby” dolls.
Renee Rosen did a lot of research into the background of the historical characters when writing the book. Many of the conversations were taken from magazine articles, biographies, and memoires so I think it was probably a pretty accurate depiction - specific conversations aside.