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41st out of 61 books
—
134 voters
The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us
by
Tanya Lee Stone (Goodreads Author)
During her unparalleled fifty-year history, Barbie has been the doll that some people love-and some people love to hate. There's no question she's influenced generations, but to what end? Acclaimed nonfiction author Tanya Lee Stone takes an unbiased look at how Barbie became the icon that she is, and at the impact that she's had on our culture (and vice versa). Featuring p...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
October 14th 2010
by Viking Juvenile
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In The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us, Stone not only tells the history of the Barbie doll but also explores and examines Barbie’s cultural and psychological impact on girls, boys, women, and even men. The book starts out with a brief but detailed biography of Ruth Handler and those she worked with leading up to and founding her toy company Mattel, whose success really took off with the popularity of the Barbie doll. It was interesting to read that Handler l...more
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NONFICTION/INFORMATIONAL CATEGORY
The Good, The Bad, and the Barbie provides a fascinating look into the creation, proliferation, and impact of the Barbie doll of American and world culture. From her roots as a sex novelty designed for men, her role as teen fashion icon, to her use as a symbol of feminine consumerism, Barbie has filled many roles and many many things to people. This book explores those meanings as they developed culturally and historically.
I was initially interested in this book...more
The Good, The Bad, and the Barbie provides a fascinating look into the creation, proliferation, and impact of the Barbie doll of American and world culture. From her roots as a sex novelty designed for men, her role as teen fashion icon, to her use as a symbol of feminine consumerism, Barbie has filled many roles and many many things to people. This book explores those meanings as they developed culturally and historically.
I was initially interested in this book...more
This nonfiction book is an easy, interesting read covering the life of Barbie's creator, the history of the Mattel company, and the controversy surrounding the infamous doll. While no means comprehensive, it offers an excellent overview of what all the hullabaloo is about and offers both the feminist, anti-Barbie side and the (also surprisingly) feminist, pro-Barbie side. Heck, the author even tosses in the "why is this such a big deal, it's just a frigging doll and we know it's not real, morons...more
Best Non-Fiction 2010
Audience: I think that this book would be appropriate for 7th Grade and Up. It is a lengthy book, with a lot of information that could be overwhelming to younger children. The book does have a lot of beautiful photographs and funny stories in it so young adults could definitely appreciate the content.
Appeal: Barbies have for decades been such an integral part of young girls' lives. As they age, these same girls have a new awareness of the cultural and social issues around t...more
Audience: I think that this book would be appropriate for 7th Grade and Up. It is a lengthy book, with a lot of information that could be overwhelming to younger children. The book does have a lot of beautiful photographs and funny stories in it so young adults could definitely appreciate the content.
Appeal: Barbies have for decades been such an integral part of young girls' lives. As they age, these same girls have a new awareness of the cultural and social issues around t...more
May 02, 2012
Amber
added it
Amber Randol
Informational
Some people love Barbie, some people love to hate her. This book is about the history of Barbie and all of the drama that has followed her creation. It starts with the creation of the doll by Mattel and Ruth Handler in 1959. She got the idea from her daughter, and from there they followed with different trends and cultures to create different types of dolls. It includes memories from women when they were little girls and from young girls today. They talk about when they...more
Informational
Some people love Barbie, some people love to hate her. This book is about the history of Barbie and all of the drama that has followed her creation. It starts with the creation of the doll by Mattel and Ruth Handler in 1959. She got the idea from her daughter, and from there they followed with different trends and cultures to create different types of dolls. It includes memories from women when they were little girls and from young girls today. They talk about when they...more
I ended up really enjoying this book in a way completely different from my previously more ignorant Barbie bashing. While at first I was a little confused by the rather more positive portrait the author was painting that was different from what I had expected. On the other hand, the positives are ideas that I never would have thought of but can't refute either. The story behind the development and the social times was fascinating and really adds insight to the argument. My personal feeling I sti...more
I read this because it got so many good reviews, and it basically deserved them. I thought it did get a little repetetive with all the pro-con quotes; the conclusion to draw, I think, is that people are divided on the subject. Some think Barbie represents a strong woman with many careers and that little girls will see from playing with her that they can do anything, and others think the only thing little girls will see is an image of perfection they can never attain. I don't think that argument...more
This was an interesting look at Barbie, her creator, and her influence. It was a quick read with interesting side-quotes and pictures.
Predictably, it spent some time discussing how bad of an influence Barbie's unrealistic figure was. Maybe that's true for other girls, but I only have happy memories associated with Barbies. I remember that I had this cruise ship, kind of like a dollhouse in boat form. It was not official Barbie merchandise, so it did not fit the full-size Barbies. However, I had...more
Predictably, it spent some time discussing how bad of an influence Barbie's unrealistic figure was. Maybe that's true for other girls, but I only have happy memories associated with Barbies. I remember that I had this cruise ship, kind of like a dollhouse in boat form. It was not official Barbie merchandise, so it did not fit the full-size Barbies. However, I had...more
"She's just too unreal. How do you bond with something that looks like a taffy pull with a face?" writes LA Times journalist and feminist Patt Morrison.
Imagination. Must we sacrifice that in order to stand up for our rights to equality?
Like many girls, I played with barbies as a child, and as the creator (Ruth Handler, a dark-haired Jew) intended, it was all about the clothes. The hourglass figures mimicked the mannequins in store windows because this shrewd businesswoman wasn't going to make m...more
Imagination. Must we sacrifice that in order to stand up for our rights to equality?
Like many girls, I played with barbies as a child, and as the creator (Ruth Handler, a dark-haired Jew) intended, it was all about the clothes. The hourglass figures mimicked the mannequins in store windows because this shrewd businesswoman wasn't going to make m...more
There are usually multiple sides to any story of a cultural icon, but it seems that there are only two for Barbie: you either love her or hate her. Not much in between, according to the research and emails Tanya Lee Stone used to write this book! In telling the story of Barbie, Stone also tells the story of Ruth Handler, one of the founders of Mattel Toys. In the early 1950's, she noticed that girls quit playing with baby dolls in favor of grownup styled paper dolls with clothes and accessories....more
Wonderful introduction and first few chapters - I loved hearing about Mattel founder Ruth Handler's story! Ruth Handler was amazingly ambitious, especially for her day (she was born in 1916). She married an artist who loved to design everything under the sun, it seems. They were the perfect team - she the all-around perfectionist: new and trendy ideas gal, marketer, salesperson, and practical follow through person (through manufacturing, etc.); he the artist and design guy who could conceptualiz...more
Brief history of the Mattel Company and the creation of Barbie thrown together with a wacky mix of juvenile sensation elements and conjecture.
The story of Ruth Handler and the start up of Mattel was very interesting. Ruth was gutsy and took a lot of rewarding risks. One such venture was her gamble on the untried idea of marketing to kids, by making a huge advertising commitment to the ABC network with the new show, The Mickey Mouse Club. Mattel’s Burp Gun sales went through the roof.
Mattel was...more
The story of Ruth Handler and the start up of Mattel was very interesting. Ruth was gutsy and took a lot of rewarding risks. One such venture was her gamble on the untried idea of marketing to kids, by making a huge advertising commitment to the ABC network with the new show, The Mickey Mouse Club. Mattel’s Burp Gun sales went through the roof.
Mattel was...more
Subtitled "A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us," Tanya Lee Stone's latest nonfiction book (after last year's Sibert winner, ALMOST ASTRONAUTS : 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM) takes a compelling look at the teenage doll that has become a cultural icon. The book traces Barbie's creation by Ruth Handler who, with her husband and another partner, founded the Mattel company, as well as the doll's evolution over the next fifty years. Beginning as an impossibly shapely figure who wore high fashion and...more
This is solid reporting from a fairly conscientious writer/researcher, although there is definitely a slight authorial bias: no matter how much is included in the book about the negative impact the Barbie Phenomenon has on our society, there is always a more positive undertone (or at least, a tone that excuses this plastic doll from her accusations) about the fun, the creativity, and the success this blond bombshell has brought to the populous and the mother company. The main idea seems to be th...more
Award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone is back with another hit. This time, Stone tackles the biography of one of the world’s most loved (and hated) icons – Barbie. Whether you see her as an innocent child’s doll or a reflection of society’s obsession with beauty; this book has something for everyone. The genius of this book begins in the foreword by Meg Cabot, who eloquently offers us her memories of being Barbie obsessed, “supporting my Barbie fix was what started me on a path to eventually beco...more
I guess you could say I was a Barbie kid. I had maybe ten Barbies and multiple outfits for each. I had Skipper and Stacie and maybe even Kelly and Krissy (I don't remember). I had a Barbie pool, little hangers for my Barbie clothes, and lots of shoes. While I enjoyed playing with my Barbies, I never really gave Barbie much thought. But by the time I was a teenager, I was well aware that there are many Barbie lovers and Barbie haters out there. Barbie causes a lot of controversy across America, i...more
"I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World"...I can't stop singing that song! The history of Barbie was fascinating- it was cool learning how Barbie and Ken got their names.... and how all the international Barbie's came about. I had no idea about all hater-aid for Barbie. The book had personal stories throughout, some positive experiences with playing with Barbie's during childhood- and some negative experiences/mutilations of Barbie. The book has several pages about Barbie's impact on body image. I...more
I loved this book. The treatment of the positive and negative impact of Barbie as a cultural icon was well-balanced and the story of how Barbie came to be and how she has changed through the decades brought me back to my own experiences of my Barbie years and those of my daughters. My sisters and spent years and years setting up Barbie activities: dates, picnics, shopping trips, weddings. My great-grandmother, a talented seamstress, made the most beautiful clothes for my red-headed bubble haired...more
Randomly found this book in the return section off to other distant libraries. It looked chic and highly interesting...and it was!
Well written as if it was Ruth herself writing the book.
I never much liked Barbies but this book made me want to go out and buy one!
I don't think Barbie is a role-model, personally as a child I saw it as a pretty doll. I liked looking at the dolls, but didn't really put much time into playing with them. I was never warped or thought I had to be skinny or pretty like...more
Well written as if it was Ruth herself writing the book.
I never much liked Barbies but this book made me want to go out and buy one!
I don't think Barbie is a role-model, personally as a child I saw it as a pretty doll. I liked looking at the dolls, but didn't really put much time into playing with them. I was never warped or thought I had to be skinny or pretty like...more
Though I actively disdained Barbie dolls as a child, this book was a thought-provoking and enjoyable read. It provides a balanced look at Barbie's history and influence. A few chapters tackled ideas I hadn't considered, such as the way dolls were impacted by changing social mores (e.g., dolls of different ethnicities, gender equality in the workplace) or the potential significance of children's behavior with the dolls--tearing heads off, cutting hair, making them kiss (or more...), putting Barbi...more
Audience: Sixth grade and up Barbie and popular history lovers.
Award: One of School Library Journal's 2010 best nonfiction books.
Appeal: This book tells the history of Barbie and the history of the Barbie controversy. It does a good job of presenting both sides of the controversy. One side says that Barbie helped girls imagine adult roles including those of career woman and thus helped girls’ self-esteem. Another side (the one I always heard as a child) was that Barbie’s unrealistic body causes...more
Award: One of School Library Journal's 2010 best nonfiction books.
Appeal: This book tells the history of Barbie and the history of the Barbie controversy. It does a good job of presenting both sides of the controversy. One side says that Barbie helped girls imagine adult roles including those of career woman and thus helped girls’ self-esteem. Another side (the one I always heard as a child) was that Barbie’s unrealistic body causes...more
The Good, The Bad, and the Barbie
Lexile: 1120
I liked this book because it was an example of a very interesting informational book. The author tells you all about a woman named Ruth who invented Barbie and started the Mattel company with her husband and one of his friends. The book also talks about how people have a love/hate relationship with Barbie. Some women had the dolls as girls and loved playing with them, but other women think that Barbie teaches girls to only care about looks and that on...more
Lexile: 1120
I liked this book because it was an example of a very interesting informational book. The author tells you all about a woman named Ruth who invented Barbie and started the Mattel company with her husband and one of his friends. The book also talks about how people have a love/hate relationship with Barbie. Some women had the dolls as girls and loved playing with them, but other women think that Barbie teaches girls to only care about looks and that on...more
For the record, I like it that Tanya Lee Stone doesn't flinch from stating an opinion. If that makes her more of a cultural critic for the junior high set than a straight-up non-fiction writer, then so be it. Actually, this study of the world's most famous doll provides a balanced study why she is loved by many, and decried by others. My favorite chapter dealt with how legions of kids have mutilated Barbie through the decades, and put her in all sorts of salacious scenarios. It's one of those th...more
1 like · like · see review
Whether we love her or hate her, we all know her. Barbie : destructive role model or just a toy?
A brief survey of Barbie, from concept to development and then we follow her changes and how she relates to girls through the years. The author discusses the Barbie quandary – is she a positive or negative influence on her owners?
Through plenty of photos we see Barbie’s different roles through the ages as she graduates from nurse to surgeon, stewardess to pilot. Her development mirrors society. And B...more
A brief survey of Barbie, from concept to development and then we follow her changes and how she relates to girls through the years. The author discusses the Barbie quandary – is she a positive or negative influence on her owners?
Through plenty of photos we see Barbie’s different roles through the ages as she graduates from nurse to surgeon, stewardess to pilot. Her development mirrors society. And B...more
This book was very interesting and goes over the whole history of the doll, Barbie. It explains how the doll first started out and how the doll changed over the years. How Barbie's had different styles and races and how children would play with them differently over the years. One thing that has interested me was how a few years back Slumber Party Barbie had a book on how to lose weight and the first rule said not to eat and how she had a scale that permanently stayed at 110lbs. I also find it i...more
Appropriate for middle and high school aged women. This work of nonfiction explores the history of Barbie. Targeted at young adults, it questions whether Barbie is an influence for positive change or a reflection of negative stereotypes ingrained in our culture. The strongest feature of this book is its recounting of the woman who created Barbie and her life. It does not explain the theoretical foundations behind the criticism of Barbie, and for that reason, is not recommended for elementary age...more
This is NOT a book for children. There were chapters I skipped because I truly did not need so much "detailed" information about Barbie and Ken's love life! I enjoyed the first couple of chapters that chronicled the life of Ruth Handler, the inventor of Barbie and co-founder of Mattel toy company. I'd love to read more about her. But the rest of the book read like a bi-polar sociological study. One minute Barbie is ruining young girl's and their self-esteem and the next chapter she is being hail...more
Fun quick read for Barbie fans...interesting opposing viewpoints covered in the ongoing Barbie controversies--does she or does she not adversely affect little girls body images? Author handled history and ongoing debates in pretty even manner and I enjoyed the romp through my own childhood as well as through our own American history as seen through Barbie's controversial evolutions.
I liked the reflections on how Barbie provided a way for girls to act out their dreams through Barbie play. Mine w...more
I liked the reflections on how Barbie provided a way for girls to act out their dreams through Barbie play. Mine w...more
1 like · like · see review
There is something about Tanya Lee Stone's writing that I don't like. The tone, I think. When it comes to non-fiction, I like an authoritative, detached perspective from the author. Stone, to my everlasting dismay, subtly editorializes right and left in an overtly feminist "Rah Rah Women!" kind of way. I'm totally pro-woman, but it irks me to see her pushing her perspective when I think she should let the facts speak for themselves. I had this exact same issue with [Book:Almost Astronauts], prob...more
3 likes · like · see review
This book was fascinating to me. I did have Barbies growing up, tons of them. My sister, brother, and I played with them daily. It was the top activity my friends wanted to do when they came to my house. I still remember the house my parents had built so that we could play. (around four foot tall, five feet wide, painted the same color as our house) It was a terrific part of my childhood.
Stone writes about all of the great parts of Barbie, but also the negative aspects as well. (Mainly focusing...more
Stone writes about all of the great parts of Barbie, but also the negative aspects as well. (Mainly focusing...more
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Tanya Lee Stone is an award-winning author of books for kids and teens. Her work, which includes YA fiction (A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl), picture books (Elizabeth Leads the Way and Sandy's Circus), and nonfiction (Almost Astronauts and The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie) has won national awards such as the ALA's Sibert Medal, SCBWI's Golden Kite Award, YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction, Jane Add...more
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