Ruth Handler and her husband Elliot own Mattel a toy company in Southern California, she’s the president and Ruth’s noticed there’s nothing for girls once they are past the baby doll stage and a void in the market. Ruth’s plan is to create a doll and shaped like a woman, with a wardrobe to match and she wants it to represent all the things modern ladies can do.

The men attending the boardroom meeting that day are confused by her idea and can’t see her vision and it makes her more determined to succeed. Jack Ryan is the chief engineer, he's in change of finding and sourcing types of plastic suitable for the dolls body, hair and colours, where they could be made and prototypes. Charlotte Johnson is a fashion professor and clothes designer, she’s given the task of creating Barbie’s wardrobe, everything from clothes and night wear, coats and hats, shoes and handbags and she uses French haute couture and Jackie Kennedy style for inspiration.

I received a copy of Let’s Call her Barbie from Berkley Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Using real and fictional characters Renée Rosen writes about the creation of a twenty nine centimetre doll called Barbie and the spin offs and I found the time frame from 1956 to 1975 when Ruth and Elliot are in charge of Mattel fascinating and most interesting.

The story is about the highs and lows of creating the world’s most famous doll and their journey, how the company went from having two hundred employees and to thousands, Elliot’s love of marching music and workers being checked before and after shifts due to spies, the first advertising campaign on television and what the public thought about the doll, was it body shaming and exploiting women and giving young girls unrealistic views and ideas. Ruth relationships with her children and health scares, Jack Ryan was dyslexic and a womanising drunk and the company had battles over copy rights and loyalties and tax evasion and false financial statements.

Love or hate her Barbie is more than a doll, she’s a part of history and Renée Rosen explore this phenomenon in her latest five star novel and she came up the idea of writing her book before the movie was released and it’s captivating and engrossing read and one I highly recommend.

When Ruth Handler develops an idea for her toy company Mattel, she has no idea it would shape American culture for generations to come. Standing at only 11 inches tall, Barbie would become the center of Ruth’s universe and the universe of those who surround her including her family, her head engineer Jack Ryan who struggles with his own personal demons, and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein who would be intricate in bringing Barbie to life.

Renee Rosen has a way of plucking an ordinary, everyday item out of the universe and then building a world around that item that’s steeped in its rich history. Whether it’s Cosmo, Estée Lauder cosmetics, or in this case Barbie, she manages to immerse the reader in such detailed history that at the same time, feels fresh and modern. Some of the themes of this book - women in the workplace, views on the female body, the impact of success- are all equally relevant in the year 2025.

Ruth’s story is incredibly inspiring. Her grit and pure determination to bring Barbie into the homes of many, is really the driving force behind this story and of Barbie’s ultimate success. Without Ruth, there is no Barbie; without her team, there is no success. While it was hard at times to read about these characters struggles, whether with alcoholism/drugs, a fear of coming out, feelings of abandonment and the desire to look like Barbie at any cost, it made them all that much more real.

🎧 This is absolutely terrific on audio helmed by Abagail Reno. In fact her narration is so good, it felt as though this was a full cast even though it’s told in third person narration. She brings the book completely to life and really made this story shine. I highly recommend the audiobook or even better, an immersive read with the audio and physical book.

Read if you like:
▪️Barbie
▪️American history (1950s-1970s)
▪️ensemble casts
▪️strong FMCs
▪️stories about the toy industry
▪️Mad Men vibes

Thank you Berkley Pub and PRH Audio for the gifted copies.

My first five star read of 2025! I’m so happy this came across my inbox to read and review because it reminded me just how much I love reading historical fiction (I feel like I say this every time I read and review a historical fiction novel, lol). I’ve always been a fan of Barbie (I had the boat, the motor-home, the airplane, etc growing up) and I loved the resurgence of Barbie-mania in 2023 with the movie (ah, the summer of Barbenheimer). I was intrigued at the idea of a historical fiction take on the creation of the iconic doll, rather than just a history book (of which I’m sure there are many).

Let’s Call Her Barbie is a story that is truly dedicated to exploring the full lifespan of Barbie’s creation and Mattel’s rise to unprecedented success. It spans several decades, across several POVs of those who were involved with Barbie’s creation, starting with Ruth’s initial idea of a more mature doll for little girls to play with to the eventual, if not “downfall,” then loss of focus of the original Barbie meaning and mission as Mattel grew astronomically and too many cooks were in the kitchen trying to innovate Barbie. Clearly, Barbie rebounded from some of the horrendous decisions that plagued her in the 70s (some of which I had heard of via Youtube videos, such as “Grow With Me” Skipper) because as far as I remember during my own childhood, she was back on top in the 90s. I loved reading about how Barbie evolved from an idea based on a cheeky German doll to something truly unique and highly polarizing (the book does a great job showing how Barbie became a sounding board for so many different ideals, takes on feminism, etc). In reading the author’s note in the back, it’s really up to the reader to determine who they think the true creator of Barbie was and what she stood for (between Ruth, Mattel co-founder and Jack, primary engineer) but I personally buy into Ruth’s vision of Barbie being a vehicle to show little girls they could be so much more than just a wife and a mother (wild to think that back in the 50s there weren’t really any other dolls aside from baby dolls on the market!)

I think my favorite element of Barbie’s development to read about was the fashion! The author created a fictional character, Stevie, who gets hired on to help design Barbie’s wardrobe, which at first no one takes seriously but then becomes one of the biggest hallmarks of the doll’s legacy. The attention to detail was astounding, down to the fact that they had to make everything in 1/6 scale, had linings and labels sewn into every piece of clothing and accessory, etc. It felt like reading about a true fashion house and it was satisfying seeing Stevie go from being mocked by her former design school peers to being the envy of them for her instrumental work on Barbie’s fashion.

I also just really loved reading about the business side of things. From learning what a huge financial gamble Barbie was, to seeing how at the first Toy Fair she was a flop, to learning how the power of little girls mobilized their parents to go out and buy the dolls in droves was fascinating. That Mattel (in the early days at least) read every piece of Barbie fan mail, replied to each one, and used the contents of the letters as market research (e.g.. little girls writing in asking for a boyfriend for Barbie) was impressive and incredibly strategic. It was heartbreaking to see how Mattel eventually seemed to go off the rails and grow out of the small, family owned company that created so many iconic toys (I had no idea they made Hot Wheels, too!) and see Ruth and her husband Elliot pushed out by the board, etc. after the company went public and they ceded much of their control in favor of growth and money. Also, it was so infuriating to see Ruth continually underestimated and shoved aside in getting the credit for Barbie’s creation; I am firmly in the camp that she is the rightful/original “creator” of Barbie.

Overall: One of the best historical fiction novels I read, with compelling characters and a fascinating look at the social and economic impact and influence of Barbie. I honestly could not put this one down, and would love to read more historical fiction surrounding pop culture icons.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and author Renee Rosen for the free book and e-arc!

Did you know that Barbie was inspired by …. oh, no no! ... no spoilers here!! You’re just gonna have to read this book! But I will tell you that I had no idea & it blew my mind!

Although this is technically a historical FICTON … the real life facts that are interwoven into these pages are fascinating! I learned so much I never knew about the inspiration, creation, struggle, scandal & creators behind the phenom that is Barbie! Bringing her to life was not a quick & easy process & a lot of molds had to be broken … literally & figuratively!

The author does an amazing job presenting the in depth research that went into this story & melds it together with a fictional sideline that keeps things entertaining. Make sure to read The Author’s Note at the end for clarification on which is real & which is fiction & to learn more captivating information!

Happy Pub Week!

This historical fiction read is about Ruth Handler, a woman ahead of her times, and the driving force behind the Barbie doll. Along with her husband, Elliott, they owned Mattel. You get such a feel of what Ruth had to go thru, even as the co-owner of a growing toy company, to bring her vision to light. Ruth never backed down from an idea or fight.

Another great historical fiction read by Renee Rosen. She is a must read author for me. Her research always sends me down a rabbit hole of wanting to know more. This book was such a nostalgic read for me, growing I spent many hours dressing and playing with my Barbie’s, it brought back memories and answered many questions about this iconic doll. Ruth had to jump thru many hoops to make Barbie, ironically most women are still fighting these same obstacles today. Even when faced with betrayal and health issues, Ruth found an renewed sense of purpose. I found it so interesting that as Ruth was trying to show little girls that they could do and be anything they dreamed, Barbie was being blamed for eating disorders and promoting negative body image.

A wonderful cast of characters. Loved Charlotte and Stevie, they brought their love of contemporary fashion design to a scaled down size. Jack Ryan…brilliant, out of control visionary. A wonderful depiction of the excess of the 60s. Loved the relationship of Ruth and Elliott, a couple ahead of their time.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This was a fascinating historical fiction about how the doll we now know as Barbie came to be. At first, I didn’t care much for the detailed workplace gossiping & trysts but it really all came together in the end. The short chapters moved the story along at a fast clip and I found it hard to put down. The characters - mostly all based on real people brought something so unique and different to the story. It’s written very episodic and I’d love to see this made into a TV series. I’d highly recommend this one - such an interesting glimpse into the early days of Mattel, the toy industry and women in the workplace.

Thank you to the author, Berkley Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.

Told from the viewpoints of the different players involved in bringing Barbie to market, Let’s Call Her Barbie is a fictional account of Mattel as a business with Barbie as its centerpiece and the personal lives of those in her immediate orbit.

Rosen novelizes the lives of the main players: Ruth and Elliot Handler, owners of Mattel, Jack Ryan, the main engineer behind Barbie’s design, and Charlotte Johnson, the fashion designer behind some of Barbie’s most iconic outfits, as well as some of the other players in the Mattel offices and these figures' home lives. Rosen adds an additional fictional character to the plot: Stevie, a fashion designer who works on Barbie’s famous wardrobe and becomes an integral part of Jack’s plot line in the book.

Going in, I knew this was a novel—a work of fiction—but I didn’t realize how much of a piece of fiction I would be reading. The main player with whom I most connected ended up being the one that was entirely conceived by the author’s imagination.

I was originally going to highlight what I thought were interesting factoids about the different models in the Barbie product line, various outfits, the Barbie Dreamhouse, and what happened to Allan, that doll I never realized once existed until the Barbie movie, but after reading the author’s note and interview in the readers guide, I’m not sure which of those things I learned are facts and which are fiction.

While this is an interesting topic, I could tell that a lot of work had gone into researching the subject matter of the novel, and I liked the feminist aspects, ultimately, the storytelling fell flat for me.

Just because it didn’t work as well for me, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley. All review opinions are my own.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market are baby dolls, so Ruth Handler proposes a new doll to Mattel—an adult woman with a stylish wardrobe who will allow girls to dream that they can be anything. Despite the reluctance from others at the company, Ruth and head engineer Jack Ryan, along with clothing designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, spearhead the project, fighting the highs and lows of Barbie’s success over the next few decades.

Prior to reading this novel, I did not know much about the origin and background of the Barbie, and I loved learning about her history. The book was thoroughly researched and it was evident that author but extensive time and effort into this novel to paint the picture of Barbie and her creators as accurately as possible. I enjoyed how she told the story through the eyes of the real-life people involved, as well as through the fictional character of Stevie, and I was hooked from the very beginning! I’d highly recommend this book!

Thank you to UpLit Reads and Berkley Publishing Group for my gifted copy, as well as to NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!

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.

Well, y’all! This was not what I thought it would be. I have never been a big Barbie fan. And to be honest, I never did play with them much. But I’m fascinated by the creator, Ruth.

I had no idea about everything that went into the creation of a toy, let alone one that was as dynamic as Barbie. Ruth never backed down and she stood by her dream.

This is not just a tale about Barbie. It is a well researched story that encompasses family drama, corporate drama and the strive to be the best. I learned so much!

Need a unique historical fiction novel… THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

Let’s Call Her Barbie shares the story of Barbie’s inspiration, creation, and promotion, and the woman who drove the success. Ruth Handler and her husband co-founded the Mattel Toy Company, and in 1956 she had an inspiration for a doll that would revolutionize the baby-doll market…..a doll that allows girls to dream about being anything they want to be. The author addresses the creative process, the risks, the tensions, the launch, and the controversies.

Let’s Call Her Barbie is told from multiple perspectives, and I appreciate this omniscient, third-person point of view. Hearing from several main characters offers multiple layers and gives the story substance and complexity.

This behind-the-scenes look into the world of Barbie is intriguing for several reasons.

* First, the vision, the process, and risks of introducing something entirely new to an existing market is interesting. We know now that it was going to be a huge success, but they didn’t.
* Then, we have the fact that the person presenting the vision is a woman. How will she make her voice heard in this male-dominated boardroom?
* We also have the stress that a new venture puts on a marriage and family.
* Another interesting aspect is the development of the doll… the vision….the trial and error…the second guessing… the courage to forge ahead…the failures…the criticism…
* Don’t forget about the fabulous wardrobe….the construction details are fascinating!

Construction of Barbie’s wardrobe is a fascinating part of the story. The wardrobe was the real moneymaker for the Barbie line, but more importantly to Ruth Handler, the wardrobe sparked the imaginations of little girls in different career directions. It inspired them to be anything they wanted to be.

In a family, where both parents are career-driven, sacrifices are made. One of the most thought-provoking questions I was left with is this: We often remark that it doesn’t matter if it’s the mother or the father who manages the home front and/or attends to the children. There are many career-driven women and stay-at-home dads who flip traditional roles and make it work. In this story, Ruth Handler and her husband are co-founders of their business, but he is also the more present and nurturing parent. I have held the opinion that it doesn’t matter which parent is more present in the home as long as one of them ensures the well-being of the children. After reading this story and hearing about the daughter’s anger with her mom about not being present, I have been pondering this. You would think that having the father present would have been enough for her, but it wasn’t. She was very angry and needed her mom. Maybe because parents in the 1950s held more traditional parenting roles, their daughter found that a working/absentee mom made her different from the other kids/families? Maybe girls need their moms and boys need their dads? Maybe all kids need their moms? Maybe their daughter would have been angry with her mom anyway? Maybe it was a personality conflict? Maybe it’s lovely when dads are present but children need both?

In my family of origin and in my own family, I was the parent who was the most present with the children while my father and husband were more career-driven. (while I dabbled in part-time jobs and outside interests, I waited until my youngest had graduated from high school before I pursued a career) Which parent do you feel should be more present for the children? Ruth Handler sacrificed a great deal for her career and the creation of Barbie.

Whether you grew up playing with Barbies or had a career-driven mom or are a businesswoman, you will find a great deal to discuss in this book. As a child, were you allowed to play with Barbies? Were you inspired by Barbie and the possibilities she represented? Did your mother approve of Barbie?

Content Consideration: mother/daughter conflict, drugs, alcohol, addiction, eating disorder, infidelity

Fans of all things Barbie might appreciate this behind-the-scenes story of her creation. Women entrepreneurs will enjoy the business aspect. Book clubs will find it discussable.

You might be interested to know that the author had the idea for this book in 2019 before the movie came out.

Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary eARC of #LetsCallHerBarbie upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @Uplitreads @reneerosen_ @BerkleyPub for my #gifted copy and thank you @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy of Let’s Call Her Barbie! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #berkleypub
#LetsCallHerBarbie #uplitreads #uplitreadscampaign #ReneeRosen

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐨
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

𝟱★

This book was so fascinating! As a long-long time Barbie lover, I absolutely loved this book! I grew up with Barbie dolls and when I read the description for this book, I knew I had to read it. I honestly had no idea what to expect and knew nothing about the history of Barbie, but loved learning about Ruth Handler and the idea she pitched for a doll that was unlike any other doll in the 1950s. Ruth wanted a doll to be like a grown woman, with clothes they could change, to allow them to dream they could be anything they wanted to be. Ruth developed a team of creative minds and worked non-stop. There was success and failure along the way. Conflict in the office. Trouble balancing her own family life. Health struggles. I think one of my favorite parts of the book was watching Ruth towards the end and seeing how she needed to take a step back from Barbie due to her health struggles. But in turn, I loved how she was able help so many other women in need with a new business venture at a time when there was no other help for women in the same situation.

There were so many moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. This is a work of historical fiction. It is well-researched and contains a lot of great detail, but she also did a great job developing out the characters. At the end of the book I was crying. I just loved how it ended and how everything wrapped up.

There are so many details I could give that I learned from this book about Barbie, Ken, Skipper, Barbie’s Dreamhouse, and so much more. But if you love historical fiction and you want to learn more about how Barbie changed the world, please grab a copy of this book and learn more for yourself. I think you would love it!

🎧I read both the physical and listened to the audiobook. The audiobook was narrated by Abigail Reno. I loved my time listening to Reno! She was top notch! Reno just has a way about her that made me literally laugh out loud while she was narrating this audiobook. She was phenomenal. There were some pictures of Barbie at the end of the physical book which are obviously not available with the audiobook. It was nice to be able to pair the two together to see some of the earlier Barbie/Ken/Allan/Skipper dolls.

Posted on Goodreads on January 21, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 21, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 21, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Happy Pub Day to Renée Rosen and Let's Call Her Barbie! While I wasn't a huge Barbie girl I did play with them and this was an interesting look at the story of Barbie and its founder Ruth Handler.

While this is historical fiction/biographical fiction I liked the look at the lives of Ruth and her husband Elliot and Jack Ryan as they created Barbie and Matel. The fictional character Stevie was great and I liked how we saw the clothing design aspect through her.

Renée Rosen writes some of the best social historical fiction and this look at Barbie and her rise was fascinating to read. I feel like she did a great job of interpreting the facts and making a great story from her research. It was fun to read the author's note to learn more.

If you're a fan of Barbie or want a great historical fiction about a woman who founded one of the most iconic brands you'll enjoy this book!

Thanks to Berkley for my advanced copy !

When I was a child, Barbie dolls were my favorite toys! I had the dream house, the yacht, the motor home, the corvette, the swimming pool, and on and on! I had my own Barbie village and I would spend so much time with my many Barbies, Ken, and Skipper. I was excited to read a book about her origin!

Reading this book was warmly nostalgic and eye opening! I knew there was controversy surrounding this doll but I had no idea how deep it went within Mattel. It took me awhile to get through this book because my curiosity was constantly piqued causing me to go down several online rabbit holes! The book is full of interesting facts and behind the scenes office antics but mostly it’s about one woman’s resolve to plow through any barrier that tries to block her.

Ruth Handler had an idea for a doll that would inspire young girls to dream big and I admired her pursuit in the fight to bring Barbie into the world! She suffered many setbacks, both professionally and personally. She was a breast cancer survivor that helped to develop a prosthetic breast that was more natural than the ones available at that time. I adored this book and all of the amazing research that went into it!

Oh my, I don't know where to start with how much this book meant to me. Barbie has always been an important part of my life. Growing up, Barbie was always there for me, and into young adulthood, I became a collector. I knew I needed to read this book the first time I laid eyes on it.

There were times while reading this and learning more about her history that I had actual tears in my eyes imagining a world without Barbie. I enjoyed the detail of her creation, learning of the setbacks, and the triumphs. It was fantastic getting to know the people, especially Ruth Handler, who developed her. This book brought them vividly to life.

I could go on and on about how wonderfully written Let's Call Her Barbie was and how deeply it made me feel. So I'll just say that this book is a love letter to every little girl that ever played with Barbie and dreamed. Thank you to Renée Rosen for writing this beautiful tribute!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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.