" Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder" by Caroline Fraser

Millions of readers of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls―the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true saga of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser―the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series―masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder’s biography. Revealing the grown-up story behind the most influential childhood epic of pioneer life, she also chronicles Wilder's tumultuous relationship with her journalist daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, setting the record straight regarding charges of ghostwriting that have swirled around the books.

The Little House books, for all the hardships they describe, are paeans to the pioneer spirit, portraying it as triumphant against all odds. But Wilder’s real life was harder and grittier than that, a story of relentless struggle, rootlessness, and poverty. It was only in her sixties, after losing nearly everything in the Great Depression, that she turned to children’s books, recasting her hardscrabble childhood as a celebratory vision of homesteading―and achieving fame and fortune in the process, in one of the most astonishing rags-to-riches episodes in American letters.

Spanning nearly a century of epochal change, from the Indian Wars to the Dust Bowl, Wilder’s dramatic life provides a unique perspective on American history and our national mythology of self-reliance. With fresh insights and new discoveries, Prairie Fires reveals the complex woman whose classic stories grip us to this day.

I think it's been well established that I am quite the Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. I just finished re-reading the series again a few months ago and that always revs up my desire to visit each of the places Wilder resided (someday, it's going to happen). This book had been on my list for quite some time and while it was an enjoyable read, I'm not certain it will make it onto my read again list.

First off, this is a heft of a book. I read Prairie Fires on the Libby app and would be reading for quite some time only to discover that I had only made 1 or 2% progress. While this was a bit daunting, I did find the material overall quite interesting, but I can see why others would not. This book goes heavy into the history of the Ingalls family, starting with events before Laura's birth. Additionally, it spends a great deal of time talking about events of the era, not just what was immediately surrounding Laura and her family. This theme runs throughout the book. Personally, I liked this element. As Laura's life spanned from covered wagon to the very beginning of the space race, I felt like those extra details helped give me some perspective. That said, these passages made this book very long. Additionally, quite a bit of this book focuses on Laura's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. Again, I could see where this would get tiresome for casual readers, but I did find the in depth research interesting (and have also decided that I am not very fond of Rose, but that doesn't effect the quality of this book).

The amount of information presented in the book is enormous. It's clear that Caroline Fraser put a tremendous amount of time into researching Laura and her family. Overall, the writing style isn't nearly as engaging and inviting as so many other pieces about Wilder, but I'm okay with that. Though she presented her family's life to be full of happy endings in her novels, there were many moments in Laura Ingalls Wilder's life that lacked joy. As we all know, much of this was omitted from the Little House series and they were written for children so it makes sense to have the stories reworked to be more cohesive and a bit happier. However, Fraser dug deep and gives details about the Ingall's time in Burr Oak and the struggles brushed over in The First Four Years. I especially appreciated the focus on Wilder's life between leaving De Smet and writing the series, it seems that this era is usually glossed over in other biographies, especially those aimed at younger readers. I also appreciated that she didn't gloss over Rose's existence. While I am not her biggest fan, we wouldn't have The Little House had it not been for Rose. In some ways, I feel that this is the most honest biography I have read as it does acknowledge Rose's influence on her mother's writing. 

Personally, I don't feel like this book is going to appeal to anyone who isn't deeply interested in learning more about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The details are a bit too much and the writing a bit too dry. But for those looking for the in depth story behind The Little House books, this book may be of some enjoyment. I have zero regrets in choosing this book and loved that I learned some new things. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if other's decided that this book just wasn't for them.

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

1993 LA
Challenged at the Lafourche Parish elementary school libraries in Thibodaux because the book is "offensive to Indians."

1993 SD

Banned in the Sturgis elementary school classroom due to statements considered derogatory to Native Americans.

1998 MN

Temporarily removed at the Yellow Medicine East Elementary School near Granite Falls due to the statements against Native Americans.

-Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read by Robert P. Doyle 

I know Laura Ingalls Wilder has been a hot topic this year, since the Association of Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) board voted to rename the “Laura Ingalls Wilder Award” as the “Children’s Literature Legacy Award.” If I'm being honest, I really struggled with the decision. I like the new name just fine and I like that it feels like it's honoring the author that won more than honoring the memory of Laura Ingalls Wilder. But I also hate that her name has been stripped from the award. While I agree that many of her statements in her books are not in any way acceptable today, I also am aware that Wilder was writing what was acceptable at the time. One of the reasons that Little House books exist, is so that future generations can remember the way things used to be. I think that all of the Little House books can be used as a teaching tool and some of those elements are unfortunately unpleasant.

Little House on the Prairie follows the Ingalls family as they leave their home in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and  journey to make a new home in Kansas. They travel in a covered wagon carrying the entire family and all of their possessions. Their dog, Jack makes the journey as well, walking under the wagon and protecting the family as they rest at night. Once they find a place to settle, the whole family takes part in making a new home. It takes time, but Pa builds a new cabin. Ma, Laura and Mary work hard to make that cabin a home. Like the first book in the series, this book is filled with descriptions of how they get their jobs done, from building the cabin, to cooking, to digging a well. It is a fascinating and personal look at history.

I have loved the Little House series since I was a very new reader. I loved the descriptions of an era where families worked together and built new lives. I loved reading about the magic of Santa finding Mr. Edwards so that he could bring gifts to Laura, Mary and Carrie. I loved how the girls appreciated their families and what they had, even if it wasn't much. I loved reading about Pa and his fiddle and almost being able to hear his music come out of the pages. Each time I re-read these books, I remember the magic I experienced reading these books as a child. I long for the opportunity to travel and visit more of the sites occupied by the Ingalls and Wilder families. I don't want to get into the controversy of whether or not Laura was the one to pen these words or if it was her daughter Rose. And while there are several scenes throughout the series that are atrocious to read today, I think it's possible to enjoy the rest of the stories and use those moments to talk about how far we have come since those times. I feel so strongly that parents should try to read what their kids are reading and use it as an opportunity to talk to their kids and to teach rather than hide the words away and pretend that they never existed.

Happy Reading!

 -Melly

"Caroline: Little House, Revisited" by Sarah Miller

My love for The Little House started at a young age. I believe I was in the first grade when I first read Little House in the Big Woods, and I was immediately hooked. While I am selective about which parts of the legacy I love, that love runs deep. I'm far more interested in the historical side of Laura Ingalls Wilder than the various spin-offs and the "extras" such as the television show. Unfortunately, I don't currently have the means to travel to the various sites where Laura and her family lived, it is a dream of mine to do so one day. I did get to visit some of the sites in DeSmet a few years ago, and it was AMAZING. I just wish that my trip had allowed for a more in depth visit. For all of this, I was very curious when I heard about Sarah Miller's Caroline: Little House, Revisited. I have read all of the Caroline Years and enjoyed them, but this was different and I am so glad that I managed to make this one of the books I read in 2017.

We all know Caroline Ingalls. She is one of the world's most famous mothers, whether it be in history or fiction. We know how she calmly raised the feisty Laura. We all know about her amazing cooking and how she seemed to be able to create wonders from absolutely nothing. But I don't think I had given a lot of thought to her perspective of the Ingalls' journeys and various living locations. Sarah Miller made me appreciate just how nice my life is and how thankful I am to live in this era. Caroline gives insight into the difficulties of being a pioneer woman and mother, the struggles of being pregnant while crossing the country and settling a new homestead, and just how tough things really were without today's modern conveniences. While the writing style was a little slower than I normally like, it worked for this particular novel. It was very interesting to see those famous moments from Little House on the Prairie through the eyes of an adult. Much of the emotion was the same as in Laura's novel. There was fear at the same moments, joy, sadness. But it was still different. This is very much tied to the fact that Caroline had a much better grasp of what was at stake each day. As an adult, there wasn't someone else to rely on to make things better. She and Charles didn't have someone to see that "all's well that ends well." It was up to them to make that ending well. Miller captures these emotions so beautifully, that I was sad when I finished this book, because I knew the story wasn't over, but that this perspective was.

Sadly, I don't have nearly as much time for reading in my life (that's okay, mommyhood is better), but out of the few books I actually got to sit and read in 2017, this was by far the best. It's the perfect read for those that enjoy historical fiction that really focuses on the way things were. It's great for mom's (trust me, I was so beyond thankful for my birthing experience after reading this book). And above all, it's great for fans of The Little House.

"The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie" by Wendy McClure

Let me start this review by saying you probably won't enjoy this book as much if you are not a fan of the Little House series. Wendy McClure has a tendency to gush about these books and her adventures but if you are a fan, you are likely gushing right along side her. If you are not a fan, you will either be very bored or rather annoyed. Luckily I am a huge fan and have even been lucky enough to visit some of the places McClure visited as well (oh what I wouldn't give to visit all of them though).

Basically this book is McClure's journey with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her rediscovery of the Little House on the Prairie books as well as a little bit of obsession. She starts off small by acquiring a churn to make her own butter and grinding her own wheat to make bread like that in The Long Winter. But that just isn't enough. A good chunk of the book is dedicated to her travels to various Ingalls/Wilder home sites including those in Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, and DeSmet, South Dakota where a number of the books take place. Reading this was an absolute delight for me and I simply could not put it down. It does discuss many of the facts about the various people and characters, but it doesn't work as a replacement for one of the many biographies that are available. This book is solely a focus on McClure's personal journey and I absolutely love it for that.

A few years ago, my mom, her best friend and I took a vacation to South Dakota. It didn't occur to me right away that we were going to be in one of the areas that Wilder had lived but as soon as I made the connection, I was determined to see as many sites as possible. Things worked out well as we had accidentally planned our vacation at the same time as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Would you believe that even though the state was filled with thousands of bikers, very few of them wanted to visit the homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder? Needless to say, we spent a good chunk of time at these sites. Being the reader that I am, I just kept hauling one Wilder related book after another into the RV. Had I thought even farther ahead, I would have made a list of the spin-off books I was missing since I couldn't remember for sure which ones I owned and which ones I had just borrowed (and it's not always easy to find the books I want in my town). Not that it mattered, I think I added about 30 books to my collection on that trip alone. I am so pleased to add The Wilder Life to my collection. On this trip I worried that I was slightly crazed. Reading McClure's book helped me realize that there are others out there that are just as crazy as I am.

Unlike McClure, I never felt any let down upon visiting these places. Maybe because I knew so much about both the fictionalized world of the Ingalls as well as their reality, I didn't get as much disappointment out of the trip. For me, reading this book was almost as good as actually visiting places that Laura herself had graced. Some day I hope to travel to more of her past homes (or at least the museums that have since been established), but until then, living vicariously through this book is fun too!


Happy Reading!
-Melly