Summary of Barbie and Ruth

Barbie and Ruth is the 'unauthorized biography' of the creator of the iconic Barbie doll, Ruth Handler. Author Robin Gerber explores the remarkable story of Handler's life and to the creation and on-going legacy of Barbie. Barbie and Ruth navigates the issues of growing up Jewish in Depression-era America, navigating marriage, motherhood and a successful career. It also explores the precarious nature of myth making and how the reputation of a product and its creator are so often intertwined. By piecing together interviews with Ruth Handler herself, her family, and her associates, Gerber paints a complex portrait of a driven, independent woman and the story behind the world's most popular doll.