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booklady_katie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
finnthehuman217's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This was a reprint with a new introduction. The problem is that the book was written in 1994 and there were so many things that have changed in the 30 years since it was published. I wish there was talk about the way VHS tapes brought Barbie into a renaissance in the aughts or how trans women are that invisible demographic that are barely visible and definitely not during the early 90s. The preface isn’t enough and it feels like the book is incomplete. I am disappointed!
jessejane306's review against another edition
informative
5.0
Love her or hate her, we all know Barbie. With the movie catapulting her to the top of the zeitgeist last year, this nonfiction released a 30th anniversary edition with additional content.
Lord’s writing is a mix of intellectual and snark. The narrator, Robin Weigart, strikes the perfect balance, adding just enough personality to incorporate Lord’s dry wit but maintaining an even delivery that works for the more academic information. It occasionally gave me flashbacks to my sociology classes in undergrad.
The depth and breadth of it all was staggering. Lord dug deep to find both the history and cultural impact of Barbie and her friends. Being the unauthorized biography let Lord cover it all. Handler’s second career in mastectomy prosthetics? What got Handler in trouble with the law? Sex, art, body modification, race, politics?
Because the history hasn’t changed, it’s all relevant and interesting. I wish Lord had the time to give the last 30 years the same deep dive as the original text. It was fun, fascinating, and a little weird (Looking at you chapter 10).
sarah2438's review against another edition
3.5
After how much the Barbie movie blew up, I was curious to read about the history of the doll. I believe this was originally published in 1994 but is now being re-released with some changes. It seems to be a pretty comprehensive look at the history of Barbie and the way she has both influenced, and been influenced by, society over the years. Naturally not every aspect of that history is going to appeal to everyone-- I found the financial history of Matel particularly dull, and the talk of collectors and conventions wasn't interesting either. But I think there are some interesting insights into Barbie's intersection with feminism, for example the idea that mothers' reactions to Barbie have affected young girls' body images more than just Barbie herself. One thing I need to comment on though is that the actual Barbie movie was mentioned maybe one time in the introduction. It seems there's been a whole resurgence in Barbie's popularity that can be attributed to that movie, hence the re-release of even this book, so not including a discussion of that felt a bit like taking the easy way out of not wanting to comment on something current. I'm not quite sure what the point of this re-release is, if not to add commentary over a huge development.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy!**
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy!**
bookclubbitches's review against another edition
3.0
I really did not enjoy this book....
While I liked a lot of the content, and I thought it was a topic that needed exploring, the delivery is so dry and bland. Especially on audio, it was so droning.
While I liked a lot of the content, and I thought it was a topic that needed exploring, the delivery is so dry and bland. Especially on audio, it was so droning.
thisboricuareader's review against another edition
3.0
THIS WAS LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted it to end!!! Lots of barbie/toy facts.
I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
slewis0819's review against another edition
3.25
This was a very detailed and informative history of Barbie. When I requested this ARC, I think I stereotyped Barbie like most people do. I thought this would be a light and fluffy take on Barbie and maybe a bit of the feminist touch from the Barbie movie. Instead, I faced a long backstory of everything that had ever touched or been part of Barbie. From a nonfiction perspective, it was very well done, and I do appreciate the research that went into this, it just ran a little boring for me overall. I wish it had a little more punch to it.
Thank you, NetGalley for this audio ARC.
Thank you, NetGalley for this audio ARC.