Rating: ★★★★
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Liveright) for promotional purposes.
What an insightful look into the world of Barbie!
This book was originally published in the 90s, but this edition has a new preface which does discuss the Barbie movie. In the preface, the author also discusses that she left the book unchanged so it’s a large reflection of the 90s.
The title states this book is an “unauthorized biography,” however, only the first few chapters feel like a biography. If you are looking to read a comprehensive history on Barbie, this book isn’t it. This book offers a lot of commentary on Barbie and people’s complicated relationship with her. Some of it feels a little out there (like The White Goddess chapter that discusses how Barbie is similar to ancient fertility idols), but there were a lot of interesting ideas presented (I really liked the discussion on Barbie and class mobility). The book also discussed things I never knew about like the Barbie board games, books, and comics from way back in the day.
I liked that this book had a concluding chapter. I always hate it when nonfiction books don’t have one. My biggest takeaway from this book came from this chapter. The author writes, “People project fears and prejudices into her; when a person talks at length about Barbie, one usually learns more about the speaker than about the doll” (pg. 264). That is so true. Barbie has never been the enemy, people just project their owns ideas and feelings onto her.
Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking to explore Barbie on a deeper level and don’t mind the 90s influence.
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Odd and Bookish 