Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen is lauded for its engaging storytelling and rich character development. Critics appreciate its cultural insights and clever dialogue. However, some feel the plot lacks depth in certain areas. Overall, it’s praised for a vivid exploration of identity with a touch of humor and nostalgia.

A reader who enjoys Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen likely appreciates historical fiction with vibrant character development and gripping storytelling. Comparable to fans of The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, they crave immersive narratives blending fiction with real historical figures.

**Ruth Handler**  
A driven entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, determined to create a doll that inspires girls beyond traditional roles.

**Jack Ryan**  
A brilliant design engineer known for his creativity, whose personal struggles often complicate his professional life.

**Elliot Handler**  
A supportive co-founder of Mattel, inventively inclined and a steady presence amid business challenges.

**Stevie Klein**  
An aspiring designer at Mattel, representing ambitious women's journeys, as she navigates personal and professional growth.

**Charlotte Johnson**  
An established fashion designer who enhances Barbie's appeal with her sophisticated designs and mentors younger talent.

**Barbara Handler**  
The daughter of Ruth Handler, who conflicts with her mother over lifestyle choices and differing values.

Study Guide

Book Brief

Explore Let's Call Her Barbie reviews, reading age recommendations, and essential genre and thematic details before you start reading.

About Let's Call Her Barbie

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Overview

Get ready to explore Let's Call Her Barbie and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

Let's Call Her Barbie Overview

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Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, and gender discrimination.

Background

Let's Call Her Barbie Background

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, substance use, cursing, sexual content, termination or pregnancy loss, and gender discrimination.

Part 1: “Thinking Small”

Part 1, Chapters 1-9

Let's Call Her Barbie Part 1, Chapters 1-9

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, death by suicide, substance use, illness and death, cursing, sexual content, termination or pregnancy loss, and gender discrimination.

Part 1, Chapters 10-19

Let's Call Her Barbie Part 1, Chapters 10-19

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, substance use, illness and death, cursing, sexual content, antigay bias, termination or pregnancy loss, and gender discrimination.

Part 2: “Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good”

Part 2 Let's Call Her Barbie Part 2

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, substance use, illness and death, cursing, sexual content, antigay bias, rape, pregnancy termination, gender discrimination, racism, and religious discrimination.

Part 3: “Buckle Up”

Part 3 Let's Call Her Barbie Part 3

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, death by suicide, substance use, illness and death, cursing, sexual content, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and religious discrimination.

Part 4: “Fall of the Dominoes”

Part 4 Let's Call Her Barbie Part 4

character

Character Analysis

Let's Call Her Barbie Character Analysis

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Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of mental illness, disordered eating, death by suicide, substance use, illness and death, cursing, sexual content, antigay bias, termination and/or pregnancy loss, rape, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, racism and religious discrimination.

Themes

Let's Call Her Barbie Themes

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Symbols & Motifs

Let's Call Her Barbie Symbols & Motifs

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Important Quotes

Let's Call Her Barbie Important Quotes with Page Numbers

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Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness and gender discrimination.

Let's Call Her Barbie

Let's Call Her Barbie

Book Brief

Let's Call Her Barbie

Reviews & Readership

Review Roundup

Who Should Read Let's Call Her Barbie?