Mean-spirited, bad faith interpretations, frequent unrelated tangents and very little history
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“I really wanted to like this podcast, I was so excited to stumble onto it as I had just began rereading the American Girl books, but it’s beyond awful. The concept is so good on paper. Two historians talking about the American Girl books and the historical context around them, what’s not to like? Unfortunately this premise hardly features in the podcast. The two hosts spend more time wandering down unrelated tangents about trashy reality TV, pop culture and astrology than they do talking about the American Girls and history.
I listened to the Felicity book episodes and one Samantha episode, as I was both hoping it would get better and didn’t want to condemn it without giving it a fair shot. I gave it more than a fair shot and I will say even listening to it at 2.5 speed, this podcast is a slog. What time they actually did spend talking about the books was filled with the hosts demonizing nine-year-old girls for acting like children and making the most bad faith interpretations of each character and action in the series. Except for Annabelle who they inexplicably adore and ignore all of her less than favorable actions. For example they make no comment on Annabelle calling Elizabeth “Bitsy,” a name that Elizabeth has said she doesn’t like and doesn’t want Annabelle to use, yet treat Felicity like she’s an awful person for calling Annabelle “Bananabelle.” They also act as if Felicity is the aggressor in their interactions, glossing over the snide and classist comments Annabelle has been making since their first meeting. I was especially bothered by the hosts theorizing in the Felicity’s Surprise episode that Mrs. Merriman’s life-threatening illness was just a ploy by her to get out of housework. Women’s health has historically been dismissed and women still face medical discrimination today. This take feels incredibly inappropriate and misogynistic and again the most bad faith take on a character.
I am also not entirely convinced that they are doing more than just skimming the books or reading a few paragraphs here and there in preparation for episodes as they will make comments or ascribe character motives that are refuted in the text and gloss over large portions of the stories. I am not sure if other episodes contain more history, but the ones I listened to had only brief discussions of slavery and Ben’s social status as an apprentice, though they were interspersed with frequent insults hurled at the protagonist, her family and her friends. They talk about how Felicity’s books not giving enough attention and weight to black characters would be upsetting for young black readers which is an entirely valid point, and yet are weirdly pro Queen of England seemingly glossing over the fact she was in that position as a direct result of the centuries-long horrors of British imperialism that also still affects people today. I don’t doubt that the hosts are historians, but it seems disingenuous to advertise your podcast as being hosted by historians and then spend more time talking about reality TV than history relevant to the episode’s subject.
The hosts also don’t give any acknowledgement to the fact that the books were written about and for young children and how this can affect what subjects are covered and how they are handled (e.g. Felicity’s tooth is very important to her as a nine-year-old and is given the same weight as the tea storyline because it helps connect the young readers to her character through shared experience and also when you’re nine, losing a tooth is a big deal). The books certainly have their flaws and show signs of their age. They are not perfect, but they do show the lives of young girls as they go about their daily lives, make new friends, learn about the world around them and yes, make mistakes but also learn and grow from those mistakes. They are early reader books that have for years continued to spark an interest in history and make history accessible for hundreds of little girls. To ignore the intent of the books only makes the hosts of this podcast look foolish.
I was also bothered by the hosts laughingly recounting how prior to the podcast they had shamed another American Girl fan for “misremembering” the Felicity books when they were the ones at the time incorrectly insisting that John Adams was a central character and the books took place in Boston. Overall this podcast is incredibly mean-spirited and a huge disappointment. If I could give it less than one star, I would. It seems as if the hosts would be better suited to making reality TV/pop culture podcast than a literary/history podcast as they seem to hardly cover or have any interest in the topics the episodes are allegedly about. I’m not sure who the target audience is as it is certainly not fans of the American Girls or their books. I guess it’s only for Molly fans as she seems to be the only girl they actually like.”
simply kelp via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/29/23
More reviews of Dolls of Our Lives
“Thoughtful, irreverent, and funny in turns, this show has it all. Hosted by two historians, Allison and Mary cover each book of the original American Girl series with insightful cultural commentary and hilarious pop culture analogies. A must-listen for anyone familiar with the the OG American Girls.”
Jcmf313 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/25/19
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“As a 90s kid, I absolutely loved the American Girl books and dolls (Molly 4 life!), so I was so excited when I was introduced to this podcast. Mary and Allison are super engaging and bring such a great perspective to these books”
SWieland26 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/21/19
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“This podcast was the best discovery ever. I love what Allison and Mary are doing, blending history with pop history and pop culture, all while being hilarious. Can’t wait to listen to more episodes!”
JKatz1 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/01/19
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