I grew up with Barbie. My grandmother and I created custom clothing designs, including one of a kind crocheted masterpieces. I recall my delight when Gram surprised me by outfitting my entire Barbie collection as a wedding party, including home sewn tuxedos for my Ken dolls.
I always loved Barbie. (I realize taking a public stance on this issue does not place me in the majority.) When I was young, Barbie wasn’t simply focused on being a fashion maven. Mattel’s current trend of equating everything pink with Barbie limits possibilities for the toy line in my opinion. In the good old days, Barbie had style - and so much more.
In my house, Barbie was a woman on the move. I always thought Barbie’s highly arched foot represented her power to run fast to get things done rather than “live” by the limitations imposed by a high heel only world. My Barbie dolls were always on a mission of some kind. Okay, once in a while they went on dates, but they also went to the moon, constructed new building projects with the family’s colorful wooden building blocks. They were teachers, doctors, Hollywood stars, investigators and crafty business women.
Barbie and Ruth enlightened me to the back story of one of my favorite dolls. Robin Gerber takes the reader through Ruth Handler’s front door and into the Handler home. I was surprised by the family’s strong reactions to Ruth’s entrepreneurial success. The author also provides interesting facts about the early years and later ups and downs at Mattel Inc.
I hold great admiration for Ruth Handler, her business acumen, tenacity and her ability to switch gears when things got tough. I highly recommend this book. Ruth Handler’s story is inspiring.
I like Chris’ chart detailing scarcity and abundance on page 198. The we’ll figure it out profit plan is rather sketchy as a guide for the future. I enjoyed the read as a though-provoking look at the effects of the global market trends and developing business models.
Ed Peto’s rational for trying to find a means to make money in the music business briefly opens the door to business in Beijing. “The moment you put a fee on accessing music in China is the moment you cut off 99 percent of your audience,” says Peto. “Music is a luxury for the middle class in China, a flippant expenditure. This model works against that. We simply use free music and media as a way of saying that ‘everyone is welcome,’ building a dialogue, building a community, becoming the trusted brand of the grassroots music movement in China. To do this, though, we have to become all things to all men: record label, online community, live events producers, merchandise sellers, TV production company.”
Free: The Future of a Radical Price is on the shelf at the Library, however you can also download it for FREE.
What the Critics Say
“As in Anderson’s previous book, the thought-provoking material is matched by a delivery that is nothing short of scintillating.” (Publishers Weekly)
Scintillating?
You will have to read Free: The Future of a Radical Price for yourself to find out!
Grab a box of tissues and a tall glass of iced tea and prepare yourself for a great read. This box will keep you reading. It is a love story but more. Do you remember your first kiss? The one from that boy that you had dreamed about forever. What would happen if you got that kiss and then something tragic happened that changed your life and his forever? This is a must read. You won’t regret it and you won’t be able to put it down.
We’ve made it through the middle years,
through sorrow, joy and hidden tears.
We’ve passed the point of no return,
but still there’s much for us to learn.
We may not always seem too wise,
but we have learned to compromise.
The candle’s glow may not be bright,
and yet it burns throughout the night.
Perhaps we often don’t agree,
but you are you and I am me.
You like to chase the little ball
and answer nature’s outdoor call.
I find contentment and unwind
through simple pleasures of the mind.
You seek and find the perfect bird;
my search is for the perfect word.
I’m no more right than you are wrong;
we simply hear a different song.
We share a world we’ve made our own,
and neither of us is alone.
Say hello to Doris Pollack, our WDFPL Adult Summer Reading prize winner.
I will miss the Adult Summer Reading program. WDFPL had more participation than anticipated and the library now has an email list of readers interested in future reading circle activities.
Thanks to all who tried something new this summer.
Don’t forget, Adult Summer Reading will be back in 2010!
Here is the list of summer favorites compiled at this month’s Ice Tea and Book Talk session.
Adult summer reading at WDFPL will wind down in less than 24 hours! Feel free to stop by the Library today and drop off your completed reading form at the Information Desk or submit the titles you have read online right here.
The WDFPL Booklover Bag winner’s name will be drawn at the Iced Tea and Talk Reading Circle scheduled for 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning at the Library. Just give us a call at 856-845-5593 to add your name to the list of readers ready to share favorite titles and refreshments on Tuesday, August 18th.
Who knows, your name may be on the winning ticket!
FYI - As of today, WDFPL’s most voracious 2009 summer readers are Christine Long reading 39 titles and Doris Pollack reading 33 titles.
Of course, they read the entire books, not just the titles;-)
This book can be found in Junior Fiction but is great for any age. It is about love, loss, and survival. The main character is an 11 year old girl who is left on her own, abandoned by her mother after a terrible tragedy. It will cover every emotion you have. You will find yourself in tears fighting for the main character. It is definitely a page turner. There are many characters you will connect with in this book and it’s one I highly recommend.
This book was fantastic. It was definitely a page turner and a different twist for Danielle Steel. Instead of her usual love story she added a little mystery and intrigue to this one. You couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend this book.
