Let's Call Her Barbie
By: Renee Rosen
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 432
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.
When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.
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.
As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.
In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.
First Impressions
A historical fiction about the creator of Barbie? Heck yes! The cover is perfection and I was so excited to learn more about the history of Barbie.
What I thought
This book was everything I wanted it to be.
Ruth and her husband Elliot are the creators of Mattel. When Ruth comes up with the idea for Barbie, none of the men understand or believe in her. However, she convinces them to take the risk. After a lot of struggle creating the doll itself, Ruth, Elliot, and their designer Jack have a lot more to contend with to maintain her success.
I think what fascinated me the most about this book wasn’t Barbie herself but was Ruth. She was a Girl Boss back in the 1950’s. She helped her husband and his friend create Mattel and it would never have been created nor been successful without her as the driving force. It was empowering to watch her own the boardroom and have people respect her. It was infuriating to see her get taken down because she was a strong woman as the success of the company grew.
The first half of the book was uplifting and interesting. I loved seeing them work through all of the problems of manufacturing Barbie as well as the environment of Mattel in the 50s. The second half of the book was a crush of reality. Greed and sexism taking over to destroy what could’ve continued to be magic.
Most of the characters in this book are based off of real people. There are two characters who are fictional and one of them is a secondary character. I did appreciate her as a character though because I felt like she brought some depth to the story and allowed certain aspects to be told in a way that works better on paper.
Rosen writes historical fiction so well. She stays factual while keeping it entertaining and always writes about strong women in history. I like that she’s not always writing about wars or torn times, but about women who were smart business women. I think a lot of her books would be inspirational to young women and I would love to share this book with high schoolers.
This book was so different from most historical fiction I’ve read. Rosen does a great job with modern-historical fiction and this book was another hit out of the park. Especially with the current Barbie-mania this book is fascinating.