The new American Girl doll: She's Jewish, she's poor, and her name is Rebecca (Labor advocate too)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242212463253&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

SAN FRANCISCO

It's official. The newest American Girl doll is 9-year-old Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish-American girl who lives with her family on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1914.

The much-anticipated latest addition to the American Girl series of historical characters, Rebecca goes on sale May 31, along with six books about her life. No cheap date, she costs $95 with one book, or $118 if accompanied by the complete set.

Rebecca joins 14 other historical dolls in the series -- from Kaya, a Nez Perce girl set in 1764, to African-American Addy, a Civil War doll, to World War II-era Molly, part of an Irish immigrant family. Her unveiling will include a tie-in at the Tenement Museum in New York City, and a harbor cruise with "kosher-style" food, according to USA Today.

She's a feisty girl, our Rebecca. In one book, she rescues her cousin Anna from the top of a stalled Ferris Wheel. In another, she marches in a garment workers strike and gives an impassioned speech about labor rights. But she also cooks, crochets, and dreams of becoming a movie star, just like a proper lass.

FULL story and photo at link.

[Wednesdays]

1. K&R

:kick:

Edited to add: I've always been a fan of Pleasant Company, the parent company of those series. Dunno if she's still CEO, but the founder was a woman educator, and the stories all have a progressive message behind them.

[aquart]

2. My grandmother marched in her first garment workers strike at 17.

She'd been working since she was 15, which was the age she first came to America.