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Pioneer Girl Project #1.5
Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder
Published over eighty years after its inception, "Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography" edited by Pamela Smith Hill gave readers new insight into the truth behind Wilder's fiction. "Pioneer Girl Perspectives" further demonstrates the importance of Wilder as an influential American author whose stories of growing up on the frontier remain relevant today.
317 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 21, 2017
Many of my earliest reading memories are about the Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I first fell in love with her books when I was eight years old. Little House in the Big Woods was one of the first books I ever checked out of the school library, in fact. I remember how excited I was when I realized there were more books telling the story of Ma, Pa, Mary, and Laura. (And, of course, Carrie and Grace, a bit later.) I was as enchanted with Pa's stories as Laura was, and I delighted in reading about Ma making cheese, or cooking supper over a campfire. I remember how I used to take in every detail of Garth Williams' beautiful illustrations, as in love with the pictures as I was the words themselves.
These are the books of my childhood, the source of countless hours of entertainment for a little girl who was always happiest with her nose stuck in a book. Throughout my life, I've always wanted to know more about the real Laura and what her life was like. When I noticed there was a Goodreads Giveaway for Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I entered immediately. I didn't expect to win, so imagine my joy when I was notified as one of the winners!
The book is a collection of essays written by multiple writers. The research that went into these essays is impressive, indeed, and sheds light on who Laura really was, beyond the idealized version I read about in the Little House books. Despite claims made by both herself and daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, that the events in the Little House books are "completely true" Pioneer Girl Perspectives makes it clear that they are not "completely" true at all. Certain things are altered, or left out of the books altogether—such as the omission of the family who lived with the Ingalls' during the time of The Long Winter. Despite having lived in the Ingalls' home for the duration of winter, Laura disliked them enough to erase them from the narrative completely when she wrote about it.
We also learn how "yellow journalism" influenced the writing of Rose Wilder Lane (and why she was sued by Charlie Chaplin over the biography she wrote about him). I have to admit the parts solely focusing on Rose were a bit of a chore to get through at times, but it was interesting to learn a bit about her.
There is a bit of repetition within the essays—certain facts being mentioned in multiple essays—but that's to be expected in a collaborative work such as this. I learned about many things I was previously unaware of (such as: Garth Williams was not the first Little House illustrator), and I enjoyed seeing the photographs of people, places, and items that are scattered throughout the book.
This is a wonderful addition to Laura Ingalls Wilder collections, particularly if you're interested in learning more about Laura, beyond the books. Any Wilder fan would be happy to have this one in their personal library, I'm sure!
I won a copy of this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
These are the books of my childhood, the source of countless hours of entertainment for a little girl who was always happiest with her nose stuck in a book. Throughout my life, I've always wanted to know more about the real Laura and what her life was like. When I noticed there was a Goodreads Giveaway for Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I entered immediately. I didn't expect to win, so imagine my joy when I was notified as one of the winners!
The book is a collection of essays written by multiple writers. The research that went into these essays is impressive, indeed, and sheds light on who Laura really was, beyond the idealized version I read about in the Little House books. Despite claims made by both herself and daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, that the events in the Little House books are "completely true" Pioneer Girl Perspectives makes it clear that they are not "completely" true at all. Certain things are altered, or left out of the books altogether—such as the omission of the family who lived with the Ingalls' during the time of The Long Winter. Despite having lived in the Ingalls' home for the duration of winter, Laura disliked them enough to erase them from the narrative completely when she wrote about it.
We also learn how "yellow journalism" influenced the writing of Rose Wilder Lane (and why she was sued by Charlie Chaplin over the biography she wrote about him). I have to admit the parts solely focusing on Rose were a bit of a chore to get through at times, but it was interesting to learn a bit about her.
There is a bit of repetition within the essays—certain facts being mentioned in multiple essays—but that's to be expected in a collaborative work such as this. I learned about many things I was previously unaware of (such as: Garth Williams was not the first Little House illustrator), and I enjoyed seeing the photographs of people, places, and items that are scattered throughout the book.
This is a wonderful addition to Laura Ingalls Wilder collections, particularly if you're interested in learning more about Laura, beyond the books. Any Wilder fan would be happy to have this one in their personal library, I'm sure!
I won a copy of this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
July 8, 2017
This collection features essays by scholars and are written in an accessible, readable way. The articles will appeal to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder and others who are interested in learning more about her writing/books/career, life, family and the times she lived in. After reading these essays, I now want to go back and re-read the annotated "Pioneer Girl."
August 6, 2020
This is an excellent collection of essays about the Little House series, the prairie, and the author herself. In one of my favorite essays "Little Myths on the Prairie," the author describes Wilder's writing as "clean, concrete, muscular English," which is what I always loved about the books. Highly recommend this collection to readers who want a more in-depth look at the series.
May 21, 2017
This book was hard to rate. It should get a lot of stars for being well researched and documented but it was depressing. There wasn't anything really that wasn't already known but it did go into more details on the harsh life that Laura had. It was very depressing and made you wish you had just read the Little house books and left any further research alone.
May 31, 2017
Another reviewer mentioned the word "depressing" in relation to this new book of essays on LIW, produced in response to the recently published annotated autobiography, Pioneer Girl. I have to agree, since every piece in the book takes a further step away from the beloved world of the Little House book series. Yes, we all know the controversies: that Laura's daughter was unduly involved in the writing of the books; that Laura's series left out significant events and took plenty of liberties; that what purported to be "truth" was not. One particularly dark essay explores Rose Wilder Lane's lack of ethics and the journalistic sins she committed, stopping just short of saying what a terrible person she was. Still, I found this book hard to put down because I enjoy any bit of information about the life of this American icon. But, can't we just enjoy the series as fiction, as great storytelling, and yes, as absolutely unique in historical fiction for kids. There just isn't anything like the Little House books, period. I think the subjects explored in this volume have been truly beaten to death at this point. Adult.
November 28, 2019
The essays varied in strength, as is common in essay collections, and I felt there was a lot of repetition in the way of LIW history. But enough of these essays had me thinking about the books in different ways. For that, it gets the extra star.
January 19, 2025
It started out strong, but the "Wilder's Place and Time" section took a downturn - went too far afield from Wilder and her books to general history and for me were long, boring, and pointless. The last section also seemed boring and meandering to me. I felt like I was reading Senior Theses.
May 28, 2017
I received this book as part of a promotional giveaway.
This a very interesting book that I would recommend for anyone that would like to learn more about the little house series and Mrs. Wilder herself. This book does explain some of the hardships that Mrs. Wilder faced and explains about her writing style. Also, it provides information about the sometimes difficult relationship she shared with her daughter Rose Wilder Lane. There is a great deal of information about the challenges that Mrs. Wilder faced in getting her little house series published. I did enjoy this book as I had enjoyed the little house series of books and also the little house tv series, but I found that this book had a very somber tone as even in the exciting events such as Mrs. Wilder finally getting her book series published still had a very sad tone like this was not a great accomplishment.
This a very interesting book that I would recommend for anyone that would like to learn more about the little house series and Mrs. Wilder herself. This book does explain some of the hardships that Mrs. Wilder faced and explains about her writing style. Also, it provides information about the sometimes difficult relationship she shared with her daughter Rose Wilder Lane. There is a great deal of information about the challenges that Mrs. Wilder faced in getting her little house series published. I did enjoy this book as I had enjoyed the little house series of books and also the little house tv series, but I found that this book had a very somber tone as even in the exciting events such as Mrs. Wilder finally getting her book series published still had a very sad tone like this was not a great accomplishment.
December 20, 2018
Pioneer Girl Perspectives is a collection of essays about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the impact her books made, background on her early life and her life as a writer. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was much more scholarly than I was expecting. These authors REALLY dug into Wilder's past and how she was influenced by her upbringing and how she influenced others with her writing. There was a lot of really good, interesting information, but it was also very scholarly and somewhat dry. It was worth reading, but it wasn't a super quick, easy read. If you're a hardcore Wilder fan this is definitely worth reading, but I have read some other books about her and her work that are easier to read and equally interesting.
Some quotes I liked:
[From a speech Wilder gave at the Detroit Book Fair in 1937] "It seemed to me that my childhood had been much richer and more interesting than that of children to-day even with all the modern inventions and improvements." (p. 13) [Does literally EVERYONE feel this way?]
"Much has been made of the theory that Rose Wilder Lane wrote the books and not her mother. It has become an urban myth much in the tradition that Shakespeare could not have written those plays. The problem with the ghost-writer theory is that none of the Little House books sounds like Lane. The narrator of Little House on the Prairie and all the others is not that of Let the Hurricane Roar and Free Land. It is the voice of Pioneer Girl. Lane's influence may be traced here or there of course, but the overall tone and drive of the multi-volumed novel are consistent, and they are Wilder's." (p. 112)
"Not much really happens in the stories. Life is not a series of exciting adventures. Instead, the Little House books describe meticulously how things were done in the old days. 'One of the things that I always liked about the Little House on the Prairie books,' Erdrich admitted,' was the specificity of everything that the family made or used.' The books also propagate the old, basic American values. 'This plain account focuses on ordinary lives, but that is why it is so thrilling and engrossing,' Eden Ross Lipson, children's book editor of the New York Times, summarized. 'The family's ordinary lives are so far from our own, unimaginably remote to today's children. But the lesson the books taught me, and still teach without comment, is that there is dignity, honor, and pleasure in work well done.'" (p. 133-4)
"Wilder's lavish use of fairy-tale elements in her work - most notably in her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods, but to varying degrees in all of the Little House books - resulted in something unprecedented in American children's literature. Wilder's irresistible story, reworked and reimagined as historical fiction but shot through with golden threads of ancient and timeless fairy tale, dramatized America's western experience for generations of young readers. In effect, Wilder reinterpreted Manifest Destiny and the Mythic West for young children, subtly shaping their understanding of frontier life through her compelling personal narrative based on childhood memory, family history, historic fact, and last, but by no means least, Wilder's own shrewd grasp of fairy tale and its power to capture the hearts, minds, and imaginations of young readers. By deploying the classic concepts and framing features of fairy tale, Wilder completely transformed her monotone and comparatively plodding autobiographical memoir, Pioneer Girl, into a prize-winning series of best-loved children's books." (p. 209-10)
Some quotes I liked:
[From a speech Wilder gave at the Detroit Book Fair in 1937] "It seemed to me that my childhood had been much richer and more interesting than that of children to-day even with all the modern inventions and improvements." (p. 13) [Does literally EVERYONE feel this way?]
"Much has been made of the theory that Rose Wilder Lane wrote the books and not her mother. It has become an urban myth much in the tradition that Shakespeare could not have written those plays. The problem with the ghost-writer theory is that none of the Little House books sounds like Lane. The narrator of Little House on the Prairie and all the others is not that of Let the Hurricane Roar and Free Land. It is the voice of Pioneer Girl. Lane's influence may be traced here or there of course, but the overall tone and drive of the multi-volumed novel are consistent, and they are Wilder's." (p. 112)
"Not much really happens in the stories. Life is not a series of exciting adventures. Instead, the Little House books describe meticulously how things were done in the old days. 'One of the things that I always liked about the Little House on the Prairie books,' Erdrich admitted,' was the specificity of everything that the family made or used.' The books also propagate the old, basic American values. 'This plain account focuses on ordinary lives, but that is why it is so thrilling and engrossing,' Eden Ross Lipson, children's book editor of the New York Times, summarized. 'The family's ordinary lives are so far from our own, unimaginably remote to today's children. But the lesson the books taught me, and still teach without comment, is that there is dignity, honor, and pleasure in work well done.'" (p. 133-4)
"Wilder's lavish use of fairy-tale elements in her work - most notably in her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods, but to varying degrees in all of the Little House books - resulted in something unprecedented in American children's literature. Wilder's irresistible story, reworked and reimagined as historical fiction but shot through with golden threads of ancient and timeless fairy tale, dramatized America's western experience for generations of young readers. In effect, Wilder reinterpreted Manifest Destiny and the Mythic West for young children, subtly shaping their understanding of frontier life through her compelling personal narrative based on childhood memory, family history, historic fact, and last, but by no means least, Wilder's own shrewd grasp of fairy tale and its power to capture the hearts, minds, and imaginations of young readers. By deploying the classic concepts and framing features of fairy tale, Wilder completely transformed her monotone and comparatively plodding autobiographical memoir, Pioneer Girl, into a prize-winning series of best-loved children's books." (p. 209-10)
August 24, 2017
I loved reading Pioneer Girl two years ago and was excited to pick up Perspectives while I was in De Smet this summer. Pioneer Girl Perspectives is a collection of essays about Wilder’s life and works.
It is a fascinating collection and very interesting to me. I learned a lot and have a lot of favorite quotes – pretty much the entire book! The essays included how Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane worked together to create the Little House series, why the Little House books have a lasting appeal, how Pioneer Girl finally came to print, childhood myths explored, etc.
Interesting Tidbits from the book:
“Leaning on her daughter’s apprenticeship in yellow journalism, Laura Ingalls Wilder felt free to meld genres, molding fact into fiction in ways that she did not acknowledge even to herself, attending to her novels’ ‘truth’ while providing the succor of a fictitious happy ending. That was a feature, she said, of ‘all good novels.’ It is a testament to the moral complexity of her art that we are still wrestling, decades after the fact, to separate truth from fiction.”
Laura and Rose had a tenuis working relationship. Rose’s two most famous books were based on Laura’s autobiography that she helped to work get published. After it didn’t get published as an adult novel, Rose reworked episodes of it for her adult fiction while Laura wrote her children’s books from the source material.
“She never glamorized anything; yet she saw the loveliness in everything.” Illustrator Garth Williams on Laura Ingalls. I was interested to read how his research for illustrating the books helped to solve a lot of the mysteries about place and settings for the books. For example Walnut Grove Minnesota didn’t know it was the setting for On the Banks of Plum Creek until Williams visited.
I read that an author I enjoy, Louise Erdrich started a series with the Birchbark House to tell the Native American side of the story with a little Native American girl growing up in the big woods of Wisconsin and getting displaced by white settlers. I’m reading this book now! It is interesting how the Little House books always describe the land as empty when it was in fact, inhabited by Native American tribes.
“Wilder’s most devoted fans do not simply identify with Laura or want to read about her, they want to be Laura. They attend conferences based on Wilder’s work. They research the lives of her friends, family, and acquaintances. They buy tickets to Wilder museums, pageants, and plays. They go on literary pilgrimages to the prairie towns and home sites associated with the books. They throw back their sunbonnets, kick off their shoes, and go wading on the banks of Plum Creek.” Hmmm... I have done everything in this paragraph except for attending a Little House conference. It felt strange to be so accurately described. Am I a Little house superfan?
Overall, Pioneer Girl Perspectives is a riveting collection of essays that delve into the many depths of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her classic series of books. This is a must read for any fan of the Little House series.
Book Source: Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes, De Smet, South Dakota
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2017...
It is a fascinating collection and very interesting to me. I learned a lot and have a lot of favorite quotes – pretty much the entire book! The essays included how Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane worked together to create the Little House series, why the Little House books have a lasting appeal, how Pioneer Girl finally came to print, childhood myths explored, etc.
Interesting Tidbits from the book:
“Leaning on her daughter’s apprenticeship in yellow journalism, Laura Ingalls Wilder felt free to meld genres, molding fact into fiction in ways that she did not acknowledge even to herself, attending to her novels’ ‘truth’ while providing the succor of a fictitious happy ending. That was a feature, she said, of ‘all good novels.’ It is a testament to the moral complexity of her art that we are still wrestling, decades after the fact, to separate truth from fiction.”
Laura and Rose had a tenuis working relationship. Rose’s two most famous books were based on Laura’s autobiography that she helped to work get published. After it didn’t get published as an adult novel, Rose reworked episodes of it for her adult fiction while Laura wrote her children’s books from the source material.
“She never glamorized anything; yet she saw the loveliness in everything.” Illustrator Garth Williams on Laura Ingalls. I was interested to read how his research for illustrating the books helped to solve a lot of the mysteries about place and settings for the books. For example Walnut Grove Minnesota didn’t know it was the setting for On the Banks of Plum Creek until Williams visited.
I read that an author I enjoy, Louise Erdrich started a series with the Birchbark House to tell the Native American side of the story with a little Native American girl growing up in the big woods of Wisconsin and getting displaced by white settlers. I’m reading this book now! It is interesting how the Little House books always describe the land as empty when it was in fact, inhabited by Native American tribes.
“Wilder’s most devoted fans do not simply identify with Laura or want to read about her, they want to be Laura. They attend conferences based on Wilder’s work. They research the lives of her friends, family, and acquaintances. They buy tickets to Wilder museums, pageants, and plays. They go on literary pilgrimages to the prairie towns and home sites associated with the books. They throw back their sunbonnets, kick off their shoes, and go wading on the banks of Plum Creek.” Hmmm... I have done everything in this paragraph except for attending a Little House conference. It felt strange to be so accurately described. Am I a Little house superfan?
Overall, Pioneer Girl Perspectives is a riveting collection of essays that delve into the many depths of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her classic series of books. This is a must read for any fan of the Little House series.
Book Source: Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes, De Smet, South Dakota
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2017...
January 20, 2025
I enjoyed most of these essays. Laura Ingalls Wilder was the first writer that I read most of her works as a child. The "Fairy Tale and Folklore" chapter was probably the one that really opened my eyes. I realized that I didn't want to read beyond "These Happy Golden Years." The reason for my reluctance was that the fairy tale ended with the marriage of Laura to Almanzo.
The essay on feminism was confusing. Who cares whether she was a feminist or not? It doesn't matter. She's from a different era. My grandmothers were 30+ years younger than Laura. Neither one of them was a feminist. It wasn't important to them. They lived through the first phase of feminism; but were homemakers and wives.
I've lived in the Midwest my whole life. I have lived within a few hours of Laura's birthplace. I've driven through Burr Oak a few times and finally realized why there's tourist information (trap) about Laura Ingalls Wilder in that out-of-the-way region.
I have the 40 lb. "Pioneer Girl" book. It will be my next stop on my trip down LIW memory lane.
If you read the "Little House" books as a child, this would be an excellent book to expand your knowledge of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The essay on feminism was confusing. Who cares whether she was a feminist or not? It doesn't matter. She's from a different era. My grandmothers were 30+ years younger than Laura. Neither one of them was a feminist. It wasn't important to them. They lived through the first phase of feminism; but were homemakers and wives.
I've lived in the Midwest my whole life. I have lived within a few hours of Laura's birthplace. I've driven through Burr Oak a few times and finally realized why there's tourist information (trap) about Laura Ingalls Wilder in that out-of-the-way region.
I have the 40 lb. "Pioneer Girl" book. It will be my next stop on my trip down LIW memory lane.
If you read the "Little House" books as a child, this would be an excellent book to expand your knowledge of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
July 6, 2017
This was a good collection of essays examining the Little House books in light of the publication of Pioneer Girl. Like all books that include the works of many different authors, some essays are stronger than others, overall, I felt each essay added something and can only remember one that felt like a chore to get through.
It broadened my history of life on the American frontier without ignoring the problematic elements of the novels (such as the treatment of the First American population that was already living in the places where the Ingalls family attempted to settle). I know some viewers are distressed to learn that things among the family were not as idealized in real life as they were in the books, but I find this fascinating and am always hungry for more information, especially as the relationship between Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane seemed especially complicated.
Definitely would recommend.
It broadened my history of life on the American frontier without ignoring the problematic elements of the novels (such as the treatment of the First American population that was already living in the places where the Ingalls family attempted to settle). I know some viewers are distressed to learn that things among the family were not as idealized in real life as they were in the books, but I find this fascinating and am always hungry for more information, especially as the relationship between Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane seemed especially complicated.
Definitely would recommend.
January 26, 2020
I thought my appetite for all things Laura Ingalls Wilder knew no bounds, but this tested my limits. Of course, some essays were much better than others, but some were a slog. There was one about Rose Wilder Lane's needlepoint book that hammered home the point that she saw the art as a metaphor for women's... something? And there is always this cloud hanging over Wilder that Lane did the heavy lifting on the Little House books, which I just don't buy after reading one of Lane's lifeless novels. There was one interesting essay about how Lane was influenced by yellow journalism, hinting that she might have found success writing, but she wasn't quite respected. As a whole, I felt most of the essays overanalyzed to death Wilder's books, which were written for children, from a child's perspective. I don't think she was trying to romanticize or whitewash her stories - the hardship was always there, if you were paying attention.
July 3, 2017
This delightful little book is filled with essays from various authors that tell the story-behind-the-story of the Little House on the Prairie series. While misconceptions abound surrounding Laura Ingalls Wilder, this book explores the truth surrounding her fascinating life. As Michael Patrick Hearn suggests,"She was nobody's fool: Laura Ingalls Wilder was a gifted writer in her own right and a shrewd businesswoman - and not just on the farm. She knew exactly what she was doing" (105). If you want to know more about Mrs. Wilder's life, this is a great place to start! I have visited her home in Mansfield, Missouri, and the black and white photographs throughout the book brought back fond memories of the trip.
Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy of this book in the giveaway!
Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy of this book in the giveaway!
June 27, 2022
This series of essays is published by the South Dakota State Historical Society Press, which is pursuing the Pioneer Girl Project. It began with publication of the annotated original unpublished manuscript of "Pioneer Girl", LIW's first version of her life, written for adults. It includes regular blog posts and other publications, of which this is one. Several well-known Wilder scholars are represented with varying views on her writings and the time and place in which they live. They were all quite different and each was interesting in its own sphere. I really enjoyed the foray into scholarly, literary criticism.
June 23, 2017
If you go look at the cover for Pioneer Girl (the autobiography also put out by the SoDak press), you'll understand why I was surprised that I somehow entered and managed to win a book I wasn't actually expecting. It may be better suited to much more ardent fans of the books. The book is very well researched and there are pieces by various Little House scholars, making it easy to kind of pick through and read ones I wanted to. I was looking for a something a little more Little House lite.
September 14, 2017
Way back in 1970, my 2nd grade teacher read to us after lunch for half an hour, every day. She introduced me to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and here I am, all these years later, still fascinated by Laura's story. This book consists of several essays/chapters, most about how Little House and Pioneer Girl were written. It's fun to see the differences in the stories and to learn more about Laura and her daughter.
December 28, 2017
I thought these essays were good. sometimes I have found that this type of essay is pretty dry. It really opened up my eyes to the difference in the "Manifest Destiny" version of American History that this was, vs. the things that were really happening at the time and the bigger political situation. Also significant background on Rose Wilder Lane as well as the independent version of life that they sold through the books, vs. the community spirit that was evident in the TV show.
June 22, 2018
This is a follow-up to the publication of Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiography, Pioneer Girl. In this volume, various authors wrote essays in four different categories. It includes a speech that Laura herself wrote. There is no duplication in any essay. Any Laura fan will thoroughly enjoy the book. Anyone who enjoys history will also enjoy the book.
September 27, 2024
Some essays are great (especially the one about the fairy tale elements of the series--finally someone analyzing them as literature rather than nitpicking the differences between fiction and reality), some are less great, but all offer fascinating info about the Ingalls, Wilder and Lane families and the history surrounding them.
September 6, 2017
I enjoyed this book full of essays, quotes, poems, and life of of Wilder. A great addition full of mind opening ways of unlocking life by exploring everything around you and yourself. A must read for any and all book lovers everywhere.
July 19, 2025
This book contains a variety of perspectines on the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Some essays are better than ot6hers, but overall the book does a great job in keeping Wilder scholarship current.
June 27, 2017
Great book
July 27, 2017
great read. I received this from good reads to review.
December 26, 2017
A fabulous book of essays for any obsessive LIW fan.
August 3, 2019
As someone obsessed with the Little House over the years, these essays add a lot of details to the real story.
August 9, 2019
I never seem to get tired of reading Wilder scholarship. The essays in this book cover a variety of topics related to the Little House books. They are well-researched, well-written, and fascinating.
October 27, 2021
The essays are all well-written. My interest level in them varied, as is to be expected. Worth it for a Laura fan.
December 4, 2021
Perspectives that add to the compilation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's original manuscript that became the book Pioneer Girl.
October 27, 2017
I grazed through this, having picked it up intending to read just one chapter, “Laura Ingalls Wilder as a Midwestern Pioneer Girl” by John E. Miller (one of my college history professors).
Miller's essay is more about geography than literature, incorporating Dakota into the historical narrative spelled out in Earning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America's Role in the World (2017) by Robert Kaplan, and nearly as challenging to any non-conservative reader. (The book is deliciously typeset, unlike Kaplan's.)
Miller puts a lot of effort into bolstering LIW's literary cred, comparing her favorably with Willa Cather, and her artistic cred, comparing her favorably with Harvey Dunn.
These are rather superficial comparisons, like comparing firewood with buffalo chips. However the chips may fall, the agrarian and pastoral myths continue to enflame the exuberance of libertarian folks who retain their homesteads in Dakota.
Miller's essay is more about geography than literature, incorporating Dakota into the historical narrative spelled out in Earning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America's Role in the World (2017) by Robert Kaplan, and nearly as challenging to any non-conservative reader. (The book is deliciously typeset, unlike Kaplan's.)
Miller puts a lot of effort into bolstering LIW's literary cred, comparing her favorably with Willa Cather, and her artistic cred, comparing her favorably with Harvey Dunn.
These are rather superficial comparisons, like comparing firewood with buffalo chips. However the chips may fall, the agrarian and pastoral myths continue to enflame the exuberance of libertarian folks who retain their homesteads in Dakota.
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