Robin Gerber

Robin Gerber’s alternate history novel is based on an intriguing premise: as he takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952, Adlai Stevenson suffers a fatal heart attack. Facing a fractious convention and a politically formidable Republican nominee, the party’s leaders turn to Eleanor Roosevelt and ask her to serve as their standard-bearer. After reluctantly accepting the offer, Roosevelt begins a spirited campaign with the help of a rising young campaign manager and the devotion of her many passionate supporters. Yet in addition to facing long odds and a politically formidable Republican nominee, she must also undertake an additional challenge that no nominee before her has ever had to address: that of convincing Americans that the nation is indeed ready for a female president.

Like science fiction in general, alternate history is a genre dominated by the interests and attitudes of men. Because of this, many scenarios focus on wars or the decisions made by political leaders. This is what makes Gerber’s book so refreshingly different. Her focus on Eleanor Roosevelt offers a nice change of pace, supplying an imaginative speculation of the type that distinguishes the best works of the genre. Having written a previous, nonfiction book on Roosevelt, , she has an easy familiarity with the particulars of her life, which allows Gerber to develop her into a well-defined character. Yet this book is about more than just Eleanor Roosevelt. Published in 2008, it advances a none-too-subtle argument that the time has come for a woman to be elected president – a point that Gerber makes explicit with a chance encounter between Roosevelt and a young Hillary Rodham.

Though such a detail may date the novel somewhat, Gerber’s novel transcends this point to offer a dramatic narrative of a election that might have been. Based as much as possible on the words and actions of the people at the times, it does not sacrifice plausibility in speculating on what a Eleanor Roosevelt candidacy might have looked like, nor does it sacrifice readability to offer a dry recitation of details. Though some of her other characters are not as well defined as her central protagonist, Gerber has written an enjoyable book that is well worth the time of fans of political novels and alternate history tales.… (más)

Chances are, if you’re sixty years old or younger, you’ve owned, played with, and cherished at least one beloved Barbie doll. I owned loads of them when I was a child, and they played a large role in my growing-up years.

“Playing Barbies” was a favorite pastime growing up. My sister and I would set up a Barbie town square, containing a hairdresser, hospital, clothing store, schoolhouse, and more. We each had our handmade homes showcasing our own styles, on each end of the hallway and spent days setting everything up. We wrote out storylines of who would do what, who’d fall in love, who’d start a career, etc. Ahhh… those were the days. I can’t express how much fun we had, or how the Barbie town strewn and stretched across half the house drove our neat-freak mother half-crazy. I look back fondly, with a smile stretched wide, over the time my sister and I spent with Barbie and her friends.

Just as I treasured my Barbies, I’ll treasure Barbie Forever. Wow—what a pearl! From the beautiful front cover to the detailed timeline on the back pages, this quality, hardback coffee table book brings so many memories to the surface. I enjoyed reminiscing over Barbie’s many looks, learning how she came to be, and reflecting on the impact she’s made on so many lives. I’ve learned so much about this American icon and the creator behind her.

I’m glad the pages are sturdy and thick, because I’m sure this coffee table book will be thumbed through for many years to come. The photos capture the past sixty years and the history of this classic doll is priceless.

First line (Chapter One): There are endless ways to play with Barbie, and for sixty years, girls have loved the fantasies that the doll helps them create.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through BookPleasures. I was under no obligation to post a positive review.… (más)

I absolutely loved Katharine Graham's autobiography, [Personal History] when I read it a decade ago so when I saw this book on the library shelves it called to me. It was lots of fun to relive Graham's autobiography through Gerber's focus on leadership qualities. This is a brief book comparatively and stays fairly close to the topic of leadership. Her personal traits and the growth she achieve during her career are studied. I think it would have been more meaningful as a leadership book, though, if leadership had been spelled out a little more clearly. It's there, but sort of hidden in her life/career story. I would have liked it to be a bit more explicit.… (más)