Specific and niche, but a great time for anyone who grew up on the American Girl franchise. Public libraries will have quite the hold list.

I adored this book, even though I have never listened to the accompanying podcast. Dolls of Our Lives looks at the history and cultural phenomenon of the Pleasant Company and American Girl Dolls. I was a HUGE American Girl kid, so everything here brought back so much nostalgia. I had the doll, the clothes, the catalog, the books, the craft kits, the play scripts, the magazine, the wardrobe -- my mom made sure that every holiday or gifting-giving occasion included some sort of Pleasant Company product and my Samantha dolls accompanied me EVERYWHERE.

I loved that this book tells the story of the company and its impact with a critical eye and a dash of humor. The authors are both historians who consider how a corporation chose to take up fictional stories of girls throughout history, specifically in terms of race, class, and gender. The book mostly focuses on the early dolls (Kirsten, Samantha, Molly, Felicity, Addy, and Josephina (and Kit, a little bit) and how their stories were constructed to teach history through a relateable young girl. The book is organized in chapters that mimic the standard titles of the six books in each girl's book sets: Meet, Learns a Lesson, Surprise, Happy Birthday, Saves the Day, and Changes.

However, what kept this book from being a five-star nostalgia slam dunk was some of the writing itself. What works as fun, voicey banter on a podcast did not always translate well to the page. In particular, there were a lot of pop culture references that felt really forced and a little cringey. I know the attempt was to be funny and relatable, but it was 20% too much. I also got a little lost in the overall structure of the book because, despite the structure borrowed from the book titles, I think I expected it to be a little more start-from-the-beginning-chronological -- it felt early in the book like key parts of the doll's stories/history were left out or glossed over.

Overall, I enjoyed this and recommend it, despite some of my critiques. The book did influence me to listen to the podcast and I will eat up anything having to do with 90s nostalgia! If you every poured over the American Girl catalog or magazine, you should definitely check this one out.

Mary Mahoney & Allison Horrocks both have doctorates in history, which means they are experienced researchers & have coughed up a dissertation a piece--no mean feat. They have also been making the American Girls/Dolls of Our Lives podcast for more than five years. They have A LOT to say about American Girl, & they did a pretty remarkable amount of research for this book.

They are both a little bit younger than me (born in the mid-80s) & were thus the perfect age to be swept up into American Girl mania as the company diversified beyond its flagship historical dolls line & started to become almost a lifestyle brand for the affluent American tween set of the late 90s. This is a world that was relatively new to me, since I was a grizzled & disaffected teenager/young adult by then, & my daughter has never had the slightest interest in dolls. Therefore, it was pretty fascinating for me to read about parts of the company I didn't know much about, like American Girl magazine, & Pleasant Rowland's intense obsession with Williamsburg.

Despite the fact that the book is rigorously researched, I did feel the tone was overly chatty & casual at times--to its detriment. Some jokes just didn't land, & a lot relied on very niche pop culture references. I'm just a few years older than the authors, but I felt like a fossil reading it. With their podcasting experience, I imagine it all comes across better via audiobook--though they are not professional narrators, so beware of some wooden delivery on that front as well.

I was impressed with the book's structure. It was divided into six chapters that mimicked the six-book collection that comes with each historical doll: a "meet" chapter, a major historical deep dive to reflect the "learns a lesson" books, an examination of historical birthday celebrations, a look at historical holiday traditions, an examination of the ways the company has grown & changed over the years, & possibly my favorite chapter, a look at the "Saves the Day" books & their patently absurdist plots (Kirsten's book is truly a wild ride). I thought this was a really clever framework, & they managed to fit SO MUCH MATERIAL into what would at first appear to be such limited constraints.

I am such an American Girl girlie. It is my lifelong brainrot, and I was SO excited to read this. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations--while incredibly smart and fun and compelling, there was a little too much "millennial humor" voice and not quite enough analysis/history for me. That said, I had a lot of fun, and I have been listening to their podcast since. Still a really strong addition to the American Girl overanalysis canon!

I did not have one of these dolls growing up, so this book was an enjoyable deep dive into the history and cultural impact of American Girl dolls.

As an elder millennial, American Girl dolls were a huge part of my childhood. I was a Samantha girly but also loved Molly (as the authors pointed out, this was true for a lot of us kids with glasses). Dolls of Our Lives is a great deep dive into the history of American Girl dolls and examining the company and culture of these dolls through a modern lens. I really enjoyed this book and it honestly made me a bit sad to know my mom donated my Samatha doll not too long ago. While we know that the American Girl dolls and their stories often viewed history through a specific (white) POV, they were still significant part of pop culture, especially to girls growing up in the 90's. This book is a good way to experience that nostalgia while unpacking the issues around race and history within these stories.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I wanted more but I did love the nostalgia I felt reading this. I think this will either be a deeply personal book for people or not enough, no in between!

For starters, the fact that it took me over a week to read a 250 page book should be a big indicator of how disengaging this was.

I picked it up hoping for a fun nostalgia trip and, more than that, a look into the history and development/evolution of the dolls. I’m an elder millennial, so I’m 100% the target audience for this. I never owned one of the dolls, but I read all of the books up through Josefina when I aged out.

Sure, we got a little of Pleasant Rowland’s history, and we got a deep (frankly, too deep) dive into Felicity, but then it detoured into what I’m sure the authors thought was a nostalgia dump. It came off as self indulgent, awkward, and “not like other girls”. The insertion of pop culture references and “gee look at us!” Moments were way too common and so incredibly jarring that I almost gave up.

It’s been mentioned to death, but a JonBenét Ramsey birthday party? Really? Setting aside the egregious lack of awareness and tact to THROW A PARTY based on a child’s murder, why on EARTH would you admit that in print?!

A love letter to American Girl dolls (of which I was a major fan when I was a kid) and millennial culture

I adored this book! Like the authors, I, too, became infatuated with learning abut history after reading the American Girl books as a child. I'm a bit younger, and my doll of choice was Kit who, while I understand why, was not included in this book, which was disappointing to me.

While based in history and includes lots of critical analysis of the stories - to say some didn't age well would be an understatement - this includes lots of late 80s and 90s pop culture references that keep it light and fast paced. While I definitely think some of the jokes and references gave a bit of a 'how do you do fellow kids' vibe, it honestly felt relatable.

At the end of the day, I finished this and immediately wanted to find the six-book sets for the historical dolls. I quickly learned that hunting down the books circa the 90s is not an easy task!

I requested this book because I was a huge American Girl fan as a kid, and I thought that this book would offer some insight into why the books and dolls were so popular then and why they are having a resurgence among adults now. The book did deliver on the premise, but it fell a bit flat at times for me. I appreciate the critical lens the authors took, but I thought their critiques could have been furthered and come to a stronger conclusion. Additionally, the books really focused on the original six dolls, while I was interested in learning about what had happened at the company since I had outgrown my own dolls. In all, it was still an enjoyable read, it just didn’t quite live up to what I’d hoped. It did, however, do an excellent job of bringing nostalgia for my dolls and their stories! If you loved American Girl as a kid, I do think this book is worth a read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I still remember the day I received my first American Girl doll. I cried tears of joy opening up the box and seeing Felicity’s face looking up at me. Before receiving my first doll, I’d been a big fan of the books, checking one series at a time out from the library. I was American Girl’s biggest fan. I loved the dolls, the books, the modern magazine, everything. The brand was key in sparking my love of history and storytelling.

These fond memories made Dolls of Our Lives a must read for me, and I have to say that this book was even more fun than I anticipated. The book, inspired by the podcast of the same name, is written by two historians and AG fans and explores their personal connections with the dolls, as well as how the dolls came to be. It’s equal parts funny and informative and a must-read for anyone who ever had or wanted one of the American Girls.

What I appreciated most about this book was that while it was celebratory, the authors didn’t shy away from pointing out some faults of the American Girl brand. Diversity is a huge one, and while recent updates to the brand have resulted in a more diverse lineup of dolls, there is still lots of room for improvement. They also explored the cost of American Girls (and all of their treasured accessories) and how that was a major barrier for many consumers, as well as how certain historical events were portrayed (or glossed over) in the dolls’ accompanying stories.

Despite the serious topics, the book maintains a light tone and is a great pick for anyone looking for some lighter, pop culture focused nonfiction. The chapters are structured to mimic the classic arc of American Girl series, down to the titles, and in between there are funny interludes that play into the memefication of American Girls culture. You don’t want to miss this one!

Dolls of Our Lives is out now. Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly hate to say that I was quite disappointed by this book. I have just as much American Girl nostalgia as the next gal, but that nostalgia was not enough to get me to read and enjoy a book that feels like a superficial, hodgepodge collection of tidbits about the dolls and The Pleasant Company. The writing was very millennial cringe, filled with so many unnecessary hashtags and random paraphrased song references. I truly felt like I was forcing myself to finish and hoping it would get better, but it was just the same content over and over. I honestly couldn’t tell you if I learned anything new from this book. Such a bummer - this was one of my most anticipated nonfiction reads for this year! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley.

Oh my goodness. This was so absolutely wonderful. I loved the American Girl series and it was such a big part of my childhood. This was such a fun and interesting read.

I did not have any American Girl Dolls and I remember being confused as to why these expensive items captured people's minds so wholly. This book definitely helped explain the cultural phenomenon that was AGD, though I'm still not entirely convinced I would have had one if I were a bit younger.

If you are interested in how a brand becomes a phenom, check out this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

I’m a Felicity! The nostalgia is so real, I devoured this book! I was obsessed with American Girl Dolls as a kid, read all the books, coveted the dolls and their outfits. The Christmas I opened up a brand new Felicity doll…I will never forget it. This book was a wonderfully researched trip down memory lane with so much new information! Truly a must have, my physical copy it’s on its way to my house to be displayed with my very carefully preserved Felicity doll.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very fun foray into childhood play, the dolls that set the scene, and how history from a girl's point of view can influence the consumer's adulthood.

a book that builds off the famous Dolls of our Lives podcast by two historians, Allison Horrocks & Mimi Mahoney. the podcast takes American Girl dolls seriously, analyzing their character arcs & reception with sophistication, nuance, & enthusiasm. the book does the same thing. it’s full of history, exploration, and personal anecdotes & reflection. the authors narrate their own audiobook, their voices blending well together both literally & figuratively. their book launch has reached sources as elite as The New Yorker & NPR and platforms as niche as the feminist millennial Be There In Five podcast. empathetic, passionate, & smart, DOLLS OF OUR LIVES is where it’s at

If you grew up with American Girl dolls then this book will make you want to dig out your old friend and dust off the companion books. The book looks at the history and cultural impact of American Girl. Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks. writers of this book and the team behind the Dolls of Our Lives podcast, do a great job sharing the stories of those who still love the dolls to this day. At times the writing is groan-worthy with the frequent pop culture references and use of slang that comes off more like moms trying to be relevant instead of funny or clever. Overall, it's an enjoyable book that all fans of AG will enjoy. But beware! It will make you start shopping around to recapture some of your former AG glory.

"...we are all products of our time, but there's also a lot we can learn by stepping into the past."

I loved this book.

I've been following Allison and Mary's Dolls of Our Lives podcast (formerly the American Girls Podcast) since 2019 and am a huge fan of the way they infuse history and pop culture into a discussion within the American Girl doll books and brand. Not only is their show incredibly thoughtful and engaging, they really have the It Factor when it comes to podcasts (great podcast voices, captivating topic, longevity).

I was ecstatic when I heard they were coming out with a book, and it delivered in every way. It's a beautiful continuation of the energy and content of the podcast (with lots of inside jokes infused), with even more thought-provoking insight into the AG brand and our unique but similarly connective experiences with it. It's a really thoughtful (and funny!) look at how and why this brand shaped a generation.

I so appreciate Allison and Mary's balanced (and progressive) view of how we can view and position ourselves to the brand now. DOLLS OF OUR LIVES is a really cohesive blend of history, scholarship, interviews, and reflection that I found incredibly valuable and important. It also connects the brand (and its products) to pop culture, girlhood, friendship, nostalgia, imagination, historical storytelling, career paths, morality, racism and classicism, worldbuilding, living history, childhood, communities, crafting, and generational relationships. It's thorough and again, thoughtful.

It helped me to reflect on a brand that meant so much to be as a youth, while still looking at it with a critical eye, creating a relationship that both honors history (mine and the brand's) and serves to create a better future.

We are just really lucky to have Allison and Mary in our learning and entertainment spaces. And in general, I feel very thankful that we are in a time when many books are reflecting on the best parts of our childhood, while taking a critical lens to what no longer serves us. (See also: ONE IN A MILLENIAL by Kate Kennedy.) That kind of reflection, I think, is mature and extremely valuable.

"...part of the joy of reconnecting with American Girl or the things we loved from childhood is not the return it presents to childish ways, but the opportunity to take part in things that make us feel like our truest selves."

I really cherish this book.

A big thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. DOLLS OF OUR LIVES is out now! 10/10 recommend.