Barbie is evergreen.

Five stars for this absolutely fantastic piece of historical fiction about my favorite doll!

I love historical fiction, and I have never read a book quite like this one. I’ve been a Barbie fan and collector my whole life. I was so excited to get a copy of this fantastic book!

This is the story of how Barbie came to be at a little toy company called Mattel. Ruth Handler has always been credited with creating her in everything I had read to this point. This story weaves a tale full of business, family, fights, heartbreak, fashion, and most importantly, love. It is a story that will resonate with everyone.

I am struggling to put into words just how much I adore this book. The characters are so real, I found myself Googling their backstories. I spent an afternoon going through my dolls and remembering my love for them growing up. I still enjoy reading my Barbie coffee table books to see the beautiful fashions. I loved the history this story shares about the changes Barbie went through to arrive where she is today. I loved the references to the controversies Barbie started over the years. I enjoyed reading all of the female empowerment moments - and there were many - throughout the book. The part where they discuss Barbie’s Dream House was one of my favorite parts - I loved Ruth’s passion for Barbie!

I also learned about an invention that Ruth was part of later in her life. I was blown away - I never knew she did that!

I could go on forever about this book! The part at the end where the author gives an update of what happened to the main characters was amazing. But stay for the absolutely beautiful author’s note. I was very emotional reading it!

I cannot even begin to thank NetGalley and Berkley for giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book! It wasn’t on my radar, so thank you for putting it there. I’ve already ordered a copy for my permanent bookshelf - I will be recommending this one to everyone! It is out today - add this one immediately to your TBR!

This was an interesting inside look at the creation of Barbie doll and the fight to make her into the feminist fashion icon we know today. I didn't know much about Ruth Handler and found her fascinating as a female CEO and well ahead of her time in a male dominated business in the 1960's.

The short chapters made the pacing a very easy read and I loved to see the journey the Barbie doll has taken over time, from her fashion evolution against the women's rights movement to the creation of some of her icon friends such as Ken and Skipper. Rosen always does such a wonderful job of combining fact with fiction and in the author's note let's us know what was fact and what she incorporated for storytelling purposes. This is a great read for any Barbie fans who want more history on the brand and its creators.

The doll that changed the world. It’s 1956 and Ruth Handler wants to create a doll that appeals to children too old for baby dolls. She has a vision for a doll that looks nothing like what’s on the market today, and that doll is Barbie. As we know today, Barbie was a success - but she did not start out that way. This story dives into Barbie from the inception of her as an idea to how the team worked to make her the toy she is today. This story is multi-POV from the numerous team members that worked on Barbie.

After playing with Barbie’s as a kid and being inspired from the Barbie movie, I was excited when @netgalley accepted my request to read this. I went into it blind and I’m not gonna lie, for the first 4 hours of this audiobook, I genuinely thought it was non-fiction. After a while, I was like - it’s wild the author knows all this dialogue 😅 When I looked up the genres and realized this was historical fiction, I needed to switch gears in my brain. Suddenly I found myself wondering what parts really happened and what didn’t. There are even some characters that aren’t real. That said, the story was interesting as it balanced the researched history of the creation of Barbie, and the interpersonal issues the team experienced amongst themselves and their families. After part 1, I was locked in, enjoying the story that was told. If you go in with the right expectations, I think you’ll enjoy!

Ruth Handler’s bold vision for Barbie in 1956 revolutionized the toy industry, transforming how girls could imagine their futures. Amid societal norms limiting dolls to motherhood roles, Ruth pitches the idea of a grown-woman doll, inspiring dreams of limitless possibilities. Alongside a team of creative rebels, including engineer Jack Ryan and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, Ruth battles personal and professional challenges to bring Barbie to life. Spanning decades of triumphs, scandals, and innovation, this novel explores the enduring legacy of a doll that became a cultural icon, empowering generations to dream bigger and challenge expectations.

5 stars

This book was EXCELLENT. Let me first say that this book is historical fiction. There is a lot of truth told and it is based off of a true story but there was some fiction that helped guide the storyline (Stevie, for example, is a fictional character). It should also be noted that the idea for this book began well before the most recent Barbiemania due to the movie and the heaven-sent creatures that are Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. 

I was completely enthralled in this story. It was incredibly fascinating! There is so much interesting information about the process of creating Barbie. Understanding why her measurements were decided as they were makes so much sense to me now. She may have been top-heavy if she were real, but she isn't - she's a doll. And a fashionable one at that. Ruth's handling of how to design Ken's bottom half is also priceless. 

Ruth is an absolute badass. She's tough as nails and faces difficult and condescending men as she makes her way through various parts of the toy business. Powerful men try to keep her out of meetings, ignore her instincts, and dethrone her at her own company, but these setbacks never take Ruth down. 

This is a remarkable story about a woman who wanted more for other women; who wanted little girls to imagine more for themselves outside the home. She wanted them to dream about a career, a passion, a balance. And though she, herself, certainly found it hard to balance work and home, Ruth's creation of Barbie gave little girls an opportunity. 

Thank you so much to UpLit Reads, NetGalley and Berkley for entrusting me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Congratulations, Renee Rosen, on an exceptional novel!

Let's Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen is a fascinating, detailed look at the development of the Barbie doll but also the era in which she debuted. Ruth Handler and Jack Ryan were intensely committed to the very difficult task of creating this revolutionary doll at Mattell. Their lives and relationships were complicated. This book shines a light on so many aspects of this American icon through an added character who helped create the stylish clothing Barbie wore.

Renee Rosen really makes Ruth Handler and the origins of Barbie come alive in this book, providing fascinating storytelling and insight into the successes and struggles along the way to making the iconic product and cementing a legacy. It's very sympathetic to its characters, and I think does a pretty good job of being fair to their history.

This is not my first book about Barbie. I started reading Mattel-published books featuring their famous doll, Barbie, and her friends. As an elementary-school-aged girl, I thought teenaged Barbie, Midge, et al., gave me a peek at my teenage life to come. Then came the nonfiction books and documentaries about Barbie, Mattel, GI Joe and Hasbro. Renee Rosen rides the wave of the success of last year's Barbie movie; her latest historical fiction, brings another glimpse of the made-famous-again doll and the history of her making.

For those unfamiliar with the history of this now iconic toy, Ms. Rosen’s book will bring to light the history behind Mattel, Barbie, and the now infamous Ruth Handler. New to me was the story about Jack Ryan and the others who turned Ruth Handler’s idea into reality. Purportedly, Ruth Handler wanted to give girls the opportunity to envision themselves in various occupations beyond marriage and motherhood. Whether you see Barbie as a tool for feminism or a too-sexy toy that creates body-image issues for young girls, the history of the development of the toy is fascinating.

The discussions about Barbie's extreme proportions are addressed as well as the evolution of the doll’s figure over time. The personal lives of the creative team are superficially included. I would have enjoyed a more in depth look into their struggles and how that impacted Barbie and Mattel. Ms. Rosen includes some interesting author notes at the end of her book, that will hopefully inspire readers to delve deeper into the history of Barbie and the toy industry.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was a huge Barbie fan as a child, I collected a few in my teen and early adult years and now, as a mom to a 3 year old girl, I love watching my daughter play with her Barbies. Although a work of fiction, it was based on real events. The story mainly follows the people responsible for creating Barbie. Centered around Ruth, a co-founder of Mattel, and the strong woman behind Barbie, this story follows the creative process, the personal and professional challenges and the emotions surrounding Barbie. The impact that Barbie has had on the toy world, and particularly little girls, showing them that they can do anything in life and be anyone. Despite some of the criticism surrounding Barbie, her body and her clothing, she has continued to sell little girls on a world that is completely their own. This book is an inspiration, the story is fascinating and the writing was incredible. I am a huge fan of Renee Rosen and can't wait to read more of her books.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Loved it. Started out feeling very much like non-fiction even though I knew I was reading a fiction book. As the story unfolded, the characters sprang to life and brought the plot with them.

The story showed how with all good ideas, not all is perfect. Brilliance needs balance and this fictional world of Barbie and Mattell was no different. I loved the humanity in the story, the characters were flawed and fascinating.

Advanced reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

What a fascinating story about Mattel and Barbie. Ruth was such a force ahead of her time. Her vision of Barbie was against society norms. Sad about Jack Ryan and all his demons. He was such a genius. From an accounting perspective the financial fraud added some insights to IA rules at most companies.

Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen
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In 1956 the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth Handler at Mattel has an idea for a different type of doll. Let’s Call her Barbie follows the Mattell team from the idea of Barbie to her release, and how Barbie affected them all.
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What I liked:
-I really enjoyed that this was a historical fiction around all things Barbie! I learned a lot and found myself stopping to Google multiple times.
-The story flowed really well and did a great job keeping me interested.
-What I really liked was learning the ideas behind Barbie. I had no idea how much work went into her design and the designs of her wardrobe.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was impressed with this historical fiction and will keep an eye out for what to read from Renée Rosen next.

This historical fiction novel dives into the fascinating history of Barbie at Mattel and the people who shaped the company into what it is today. While the story incorporates many real events, Renee Rosen takes some creative liberties with dialogue and introduces a fictional character, staying true to the overall theme of Barbie’s legacy.
For me, a great historical fiction novel inspires curiosity—it makes you want to dig deeper and research as you read, and this book definitely does that. The story primarily focuses on Barbie’s two creators, Ruth Handler and Jack Ryan, and offers a compelling look at the immense effort it takes to bring a toy to life—something I’d never really considered before.
If you’re still riding the Barbie wave from the summer of ’23, this is your perfect next stop into Barbie’s world!

This story kept me interested & constantly checking Google to see who & what was real or fiction. I grew up loving Barbie so it was interesting to dive into a dive into a bit of her history.

Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a girl who grew up playing with Barbie dolls, it was so interesting to read, as an adult, about the dramatic and sordid lives of the people that created her.

I loved this book. Ruth Handler was hell-bent on making this doll work so that girls could see themselves as more than a housewife and mother, which, in the 1950’s was quite scandalous.

Sure, Barbie started as a fashion doll whose jobs included model and lounge singer, but this book chronicles how hard Mattel, and specifically Ruth Handler, worked to press the envelope on making Barbie a role model for girls to show them that they could be anything.

I really liked the addition of the character Stevie who was fictional. She added a lot to the story as a woman who had gone through a terrible experience and thought she would never have the opportunity to make her dreams come true, but Barbie did that for her. Her character arc gave a great example of what Barbie is meant to do for the kids who play with her, inspire the kids to make their dreams come true.

The last quarter of the book gets a bit depressing, but that part was also interesting. Throughout this novel, we see the rise and fall of Mattel from the 60’s-early 80’s.

This was such an interesting book! A historical fiction novel about the creators of Barbie, Let’s Call Her Barbie looks at the doll’s creation, cultural impact and effect on the personal lives of those who worked on her. I really enjoyed seeing how Barbie went from an idea to a full fledged phenomenon and how she changed over the decades with the times. Also seeing the work culture at Mattel was incredibly fascinating, especially as Ruth Handler began to really take charge. I found Jack Ryan’s POV incredibly interesting as well with his mental illnesses and how he clashed with Ruth. The author’s note at the end really made me want to read and research more on Ruth Handler, Jack Ryan and Mattel. Also, don’t let the cutesy cover fool you. There are some very tough (but well done!) subject matters in the story such as mental illness, cancer, death and body image issues. I think any fan of Barbie would enjoy this one!
CW: sexism, cancer, death, eating disorders, mental illness

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced digital readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who knew Barbie had such history and drama associated with her creation.

This historical novel begins with an idea and lands with an everlasting legacy spanning more than a half century. It's unfathomable to imagine the controversy Barbie created as her sheer notion was to help young girls to dream bigger than a housewife. The creative team's saga was surreal at Mattel, along with their personal lives.

An impressionable story for someone who worshipped Barbie, her friends and her many accessories.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

When Ruth Handler pitches to her board of directors her idea for a doll unlike any the country has seen, she is met with skepticism, but she is undeterred. Unlike the other dolls on the market in 1956, this new doll looks like a grown women with a fabulous wardrobe and lots of career options. This is a stellar story of how Barbie became iconic and how a strong woman who believed in herself and her dream made it happen. I was cheering Ruth on the entire time I was reading. For fans of Barbie and pop culture.

I was not going to read this book! Not only that, when I suggested it to book club, they all stared at me like I lost my mind. It was only after hearing about it more and more that I requested it on NetGalley. I didnt have a Barbie as a kid and I was vehimently against baby dolls for more of my childhood so with one eyebrow raised, I began this book.
And I was DELIGHTED that it was so much more than what is the premise. The book is largely about Ruth Handler who believed in herself and her ideas that she was able to rise to the top ranks of Mattell company. A woman in this era in a roomful of men, trying to pitch the idea of a doll that is a grownup - wow. I can only imagine. Let's just say she persisted.
But its also about the skyrocket of success, the struggle to maintain, and the decline of the company, the products and the people behind the ideas.
Its a historical fiction that I immediately picked for book club. I couldnt put it down and was intrigued through to the end.
4 solid stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I never knew there was so much history to Barbie.

A novel written based on facts with some fiction to bind it together makes for a great read. I especially loved the parts when they first began to design Barbie and the details to ensure her clothes worked. To take the coldness from what would have been just facts we get the backstory of each of the characters and their life outside of Mattel.

By the author's own admission at the end of the book, it says she had to cut it by 100 pages because it was too long. In my opinion, it is still too long. It flagged at times and I felt we were being taken over old ground. Sometimes reading was like working those long shifts in chapters as the employees toiled away.

I also had my eyes opened to some of the goings on in the toy industry and what happened at Mattel. I looked up some of it as I wasn't sure by this point what was fact and what was fiction. In the main the characters are real. With Barbara Handler and her family and the designer Jack Ryan the main real life people. A character which was invented was Stevie, who was a designer of clothes for Barbie in the book.

The book was apparently in the making before the movie. There are a couple of references to things in the movie that went over my head at the time, and now I understand them. I never got a Barbie and I kind of understand why now!

"She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world."
Let's Call Her Barbie is a historical fiction book that tells the story of the creators of Barbie and I was captivated by this one from the beginning. The author wrote this so well and I was turning pages until the very end. It was very interesting to read about the creators of Barbie and I like how the author had her notes at the end that said what was historical or not. Overall, this was one that I highly enjoyed and would recommend to any reader who loves historical fiction or Barbie. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this read in exchange of my honest review of Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen.