Growing up, it felt like you were either the kid with all the American Girl dolls, or you knew the kid with all the American Girl dolls. A new book examines this cultural force.

But Kirsten and the other American Girl dolls represent far more than all that, Mary Mahoney, a historian, an author and co-host of the podcast “Dolls of Our Lives, ...

And they're talking about the American Girl doll Molly McIntire, one of the original 18-inch dolls released by Pleasant Company. She is a 9-year-old World War II patriot whose father is away at war.

Growing up, it felt like you were either the kid with all the American Girl dolls, or you knew the kid with all the American Girl dolls. A new book examines this cultural force.