A book for every Barbie in Barbie.
Hi Barbie! Are you looking for a good book to read? Maybe to take to the Beach? And/or to bring with you when you go to the movies this weekend? I promise, it’s going to be right up your alley. And also pink, for outfit coordination purposes, of course. You’re welcome. Bye Barbie!

Stereotypical Barbie: Emily Henry, Happy Place
Barbie is everything. And she can stave off thoughts of death with Henry’s latest feel-good rom com. For a while, anyway!

President Barbie: Casey McQuiston, Red, White, & Royal Blue
This Barbie is President. And she totally thinks love can save the world. Or at least her evening in.

Weird Barbie: Jen Beagin, Vacuum in the Dark
This Barbie is always in the splits. And it’s left her with a satisfyingly insane sense of humor.

Writer Barbie: Elif Batuman, The Idiot
This Barbie is a celebrated author. But she was once a mere overthinker obsessed with semiotics, just like you.

Dr. Barbie: Ling Ma, Severance
This Barbie is a doctor. And she knows you can’t die from nostalgia. But she gets it.

Journalist Barbie: Chloé Cooper Jones, Easy Beauty: A Memoir
This Barbie has a Pulitzer. And she knows good nonfiction when she reads it.

Diplomat Barbie: Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
This Barbie is a diplomat. And she is always looking to the greats to figure out how to live in the world (particularly with other people).

Judge Barbie: The New York Public Library, ed., The Stonewall Reader
This Barbie is a Supreme Court Justice. And she’s good at it.

Physicist Barbie: Tom Perrotta, The Leftovers
This Barbie has a Nobel Prize in Physics. And she has some theories.

Lawyer Barbie: Alissa Nutting, Tampa
This Barbie is a lawyer. And she understands the ramifications but can’t help getting sucked in anyway.

Mermaid Barbie: Julia Langbein, American Mermaid
This Barbie is a mermaid. And everyone knows that mermaids love mermaids.

BONUS: Ken: Jacqueline Susann, Valley of the Dolls
He’s just Ken. And boy, does he love Barbie.
Emily Temple
Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.



















