Will I love Let's Call Her Barbie?

Barbie has always been more than a doll to me. In the same way, Renée Rosen’s novel is much more than a story about one. Reading Let’s Call Her Barbie (Berkley, 2025) felt like opening a shiny pink vinyl time capsule filled with tiny high heels, and the faint scent of childhood wonder. Rosen’s novel doesn’t simply tell the story of a doll –or the visionary, Ruth Handler, who created her; it revives the ambition, boldness, and defiant spirit that fueled Barbie’s creation.

While rendered as a work of historical fiction, Rosen’s book takes readers back to Barbie’s 1959 debut,… show more.

I loved this book and finished it very quickly. While this book doesn't have a clear main character, Ruth Handler was by far most interesting for me. She's truly remarkable leader, full of creativity and grit. Even though she was nicknamed "Ruthless," plenty of people were mean to her and made terrible decisions behind her back. I loved learning how Barbie came to be, how people thought that it's a crazy idea, and how Ruth stuck with her vision. I remember when I came to the US, getting my first Barbie was a huge deal. Great book to learn the… show more.