This inspired collection of essays by Jane Smiley, Erica Jong, Anna Quindlen, Carol Shields, Meg Wolitzer, and a host of other Barbie-watchers is an engaging blend of lighthearted, idiosyncratic comments and in-depth social commentary. Steven Dubin's seminal essay on Barbie's origins as a pornographic doll in Germany and her evolution into an American icon, suppressed by Mattel, is printed here for the first time. While Ms. Quindlen discusses her desire to drive a silver stake through Barbie's plastic heart, Ms. Smiley confesses that her daughters have only recently parted with their large collection. Plus, Stephanie Coontz considers Barbie as the embodiment of 1950s values and ideals, the daughter Ozzie and Harriet would have had; Ann DuCille explores the world of Barbies of color; Rabbi Susan Schnur invites Barbie to fast on Yom Kippur; and Yona Zeldis McDonough revels in her Barbie love while revealing the real-life childhood lessons she learned from this sophisticated plastic playmate.