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Dolls of Our Lives
Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can't Quit American Girl | Mary Mahoney, Allison Horrocks
3 posts | 4 read | 1 reading | 2 to read
Which American Girl are you? Are you a Molly (a patriotic overachiever with a flair for drama)? Felicity (the original horse girl)? Kirsten (a cottagecore fan who seems immune to cholera), Samantha (a savior complex in a sailor suit), or Josefina (who dealt with grief by befriending a baby goat)? Have you ever wondered how Britney Spears or Michelle Kwan would answer that question? And why do we care so much which girl we are? Combining history, travelogue, and memoir, Dolls of Our Lives follows Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney on an unforgettable journey to the past as they delve into the origins of this iconic brand. Continuing the conversations that began on their podcast, they set out to answer the lingering questions that keep them up at night. What did American Girl inventor Pleasant Rowland hope to say to children with these dolls? Was girl power something that could be ordered from a catalogue, described by a magazine, or modeled in the plot lines of books? And how - and why - did this brand shape an entire generation? Through interviews with a legion of devoted doll lovers, a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg, a place that inspired Pleasant to create American Girl, and an exploration of their own (complicated) fandom, this is a deep dive into one of the 90s most coveted products - the American Girl doll.
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jlhammar
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Fun listen. I wasn‘t really a doll girl, but I was very into the Kirsten, Samantha and Molly books—the original three that were out when I was prime American Girl age.

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LadyCait84
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With its mix of AG fangirling and academia-trained analysis, this book was right up my alley — though I did find myself wanting more depth at times (and definitely would have preferred a tighter structure). But I loved this stroll down memory lane as a way to appreciate what the brand still means to so many, while also examining critically its faults and missteps.

Maybe it‘s time to get my Samantha doll out of storage?

jewright I read all the books and wanted one so badly when I was little. 8mo
LadyCait84 @jewright I so loved the books — some of my earliest memories of reading (that didn‘t involve being read to by my mom) are of the America Girl books. They were my first experience of begging to postpone bedtime so I could finish a chapter! 8mo
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Chelsea.Poole
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I‘m the exact audience for this book and it absolutely spoke to me! My mom gave my American Girl doll (Kirsten!) when I was about 8 years old for Christmas. I have such fond memories of her and this book brought to mind much of my 90s childhood, such as the series of books and accessories that went along with the dolls. This is authored by two “Molly”s who host a podcast about AG and share personal stories along with facts about this fandom.

Jess Globes! Beautiful. 8mo
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