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Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma
Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie, grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love was plentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc. In this candid memoir, Grassle reveals her journey to succeed as an actress even as she struggles to overcome depression, combat her own dependence on alcohol, and find true love. With humor and hard-won wisdom, Grassle takes readers on an inspiring journey through the political turmoil on ’60s campuses, on to studies with some of the most celebrated artists at the famed London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and ultimately behind the curtains of Broadway stages and storied Hollywood sets. In these pages, readers meet actors and directors who have captivated us on screen and stage as they fall in love, betray and befriend, and don costumes only to reveal themselves. We know Karen Grassle best as the proud prairie woman Caroline Ingalls, with her quiet strength and devotion to family, but this memoir introduces readers to the complex, funny, rebellious, and soulful woman who, in addition to being the force behind those many strong women she played, fought passionately―as a writer, producer, and activist―on behalf of equal rights for women. Raw, emotional, and tender, Bright Lights celebrates and honors womanhood, in all its complexity.
349 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
January 16, 2022
Think of the opposite of Ma Ingalls and you get depressing, out-of-control Karen Grassle in a deeply disappointing and often shocking memoir that focuses mostly on her addictions, feminist rants, and mental health issues. She even near the end of the book tosses in an afterthought about her two abortions. If you're looking for a clean, moral actress to share stories of her happy life, you won't find it here.
And if you want lots of insights into the Little House TV series you also will go unsatisfied--beyond the first year there's barely anything about the series, which takes up less than one-fifth of the book's pages. The rest of it? Non-stop drinking, drugs, smoking, complaining (way too much complaining!), negativity, multiple suicide attempts, factual errors, insults, expectations that she should be given everything by her parents or the government, and ultimately a very unhappy woman that need very serious mental health help at a young age but thought of herself as above others. The book ends 40 years ago when the show stopped, so this isn't even a complete memoir.
There is so much wrong with Grassle, but it isn't really a surprise. We had all heard the rumors over the years and seen how she didn't want to be publicly associated with the role or the show. At least we now know her version of why--and she goes overboard to make Michael Landon look like a horrible monster. Yet she fails to actually look deep into herself and see that she caused most of her own problems. She is constantly depressed or internally upset and blame-shifts everything.
Her depression and mental illness start in her younger years and she partially blames it on an alcoholic father. Soon she starts to live more like a hippie and sleeps around with pretty much any guy she can find, including many married men. A few she names, most she doesn't, but she feels almost proud of being sexually free and irresponsible. Her boasting of getting abortions and her condemnation of those that are pro-life or conservative is disgusting. We get it--you don't want to be associated with a home-centered prairie mother, but for an actress who claims to be tolerant and open-minded she's just another unthinking bigoted liberal.
Much of the book is about her theatrical career, which is honestly pretty boring since none of us saw her in any of the minor productions she mentions. She has no money, mooches off others all the time, complains about not having subway fare but smokes dope all the time, has a cigarette addiction, and is hooked on wine. Wake up America--if you're buying drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes maybe you shouldn't be asking taxpayers or parents to fund your lifestyle!
Her totally unrealistic expectations and unwillingness to work minimum wage jobs to make a living shows her lack of character. She also did virtually no TV work when out of nowhere she was called to audition for Little House based on a few professional photos she had taken (one of the pics was topless), then stumbled into the role not even knowing how a television program was shot or produced.
She whines throughout the book and there nothing positive about it. After her first year on Little House she thinks she deserves a raise despite having signed a contract. Landon gets upset at her insistence on getting paid more and he refuses but starts shrinking her role in the second season, which was obvious to viewers. She blames Landon throughout this period and yet the fact is her expectations were unreasonable. She wasn't a famous longtime experienced TV actress who could demand more money or walk, she was a new TV performer who should have been thrilled to be in a hit. Instead she drank more, took more drugs, smoked more dope, and puffed a lot of cigarettes. Then wondered why she was mentally ill and needed to see a therapist.
Eventually she appears in a few other TV series or movies, but we hear nothing about them except for The Love Boat (why?) and a film she wrote called Battered. Grassle complains her way through those as well, at the same time trying to become a feminist voice. Then there's a long section on how women are mistreated and the failure to pass the ERA. Grassle doesn't understand economic basics and seems to feel that everyone should be paid the same thing and have access to the same public rest rooms with no thought to consequences of these policies. She actually says that the reason women are crazy are because it's a male-dominated society. So she admits she and other females are mentally unstable but instead of taking responsibility for the thousands of bad choices she makes she blames men.
There is nothing positive or upbeat about this book. I was disappointed to see Kristin Chenoweth's back cover blurb that says, "So uplifting! So full of hope! The perfect read on life's reflections." That is 100% false and the opposite of this memoir.
There isn't an uplifting moment in it, unless her throw-away moment when she decides to finally become sober. After 20 years of spiraling out of control she just one day stops drinking and drugs. Well, if you could do it then you could have made that same choice two decades earlier, so you can't blame society or men or parents or Hollywood--it's all your individual choice that has to be made every day.
There's little hope in this beyond that single choice. We don't really know what happens at the end beyond a couple pages that allude to a marriage and show reunion, but nothing about her kid that she so longed to have after two abortions.
There will be those that love this book, especially anti-male feminists that think Little House was "too perfect" as Grassle says (it wasn't at all--try watching it to see how politically liberal the show really was and unrealistic for its era). And the 60 pages or so about the show's first season are interesting. But it's filled with depressing negativity that she should take responsibility for. If you want real inspiration go read the Little House books instead.
And if you want lots of insights into the Little House TV series you also will go unsatisfied--beyond the first year there's barely anything about the series, which takes up less than one-fifth of the book's pages. The rest of it? Non-stop drinking, drugs, smoking, complaining (way too much complaining!), negativity, multiple suicide attempts, factual errors, insults, expectations that she should be given everything by her parents or the government, and ultimately a very unhappy woman that need very serious mental health help at a young age but thought of herself as above others. The book ends 40 years ago when the show stopped, so this isn't even a complete memoir.
There is so much wrong with Grassle, but it isn't really a surprise. We had all heard the rumors over the years and seen how she didn't want to be publicly associated with the role or the show. At least we now know her version of why--and she goes overboard to make Michael Landon look like a horrible monster. Yet she fails to actually look deep into herself and see that she caused most of her own problems. She is constantly depressed or internally upset and blame-shifts everything.
Her depression and mental illness start in her younger years and she partially blames it on an alcoholic father. Soon she starts to live more like a hippie and sleeps around with pretty much any guy she can find, including many married men. A few she names, most she doesn't, but she feels almost proud of being sexually free and irresponsible. Her boasting of getting abortions and her condemnation of those that are pro-life or conservative is disgusting. We get it--you don't want to be associated with a home-centered prairie mother, but for an actress who claims to be tolerant and open-minded she's just another unthinking bigoted liberal.
Much of the book is about her theatrical career, which is honestly pretty boring since none of us saw her in any of the minor productions she mentions. She has no money, mooches off others all the time, complains about not having subway fare but smokes dope all the time, has a cigarette addiction, and is hooked on wine. Wake up America--if you're buying drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes maybe you shouldn't be asking taxpayers or parents to fund your lifestyle!
Her totally unrealistic expectations and unwillingness to work minimum wage jobs to make a living shows her lack of character. She also did virtually no TV work when out of nowhere she was called to audition for Little House based on a few professional photos she had taken (one of the pics was topless), then stumbled into the role not even knowing how a television program was shot or produced.
She whines throughout the book and there nothing positive about it. After her first year on Little House she thinks she deserves a raise despite having signed a contract. Landon gets upset at her insistence on getting paid more and he refuses but starts shrinking her role in the second season, which was obvious to viewers. She blames Landon throughout this period and yet the fact is her expectations were unreasonable. She wasn't a famous longtime experienced TV actress who could demand more money or walk, she was a new TV performer who should have been thrilled to be in a hit. Instead she drank more, took more drugs, smoked more dope, and puffed a lot of cigarettes. Then wondered why she was mentally ill and needed to see a therapist.
Eventually she appears in a few other TV series or movies, but we hear nothing about them except for The Love Boat (why?) and a film she wrote called Battered. Grassle complains her way through those as well, at the same time trying to become a feminist voice. Then there's a long section on how women are mistreated and the failure to pass the ERA. Grassle doesn't understand economic basics and seems to feel that everyone should be paid the same thing and have access to the same public rest rooms with no thought to consequences of these policies. She actually says that the reason women are crazy are because it's a male-dominated society. So she admits she and other females are mentally unstable but instead of taking responsibility for the thousands of bad choices she makes she blames men.
There is nothing positive or upbeat about this book. I was disappointed to see Kristin Chenoweth's back cover blurb that says, "So uplifting! So full of hope! The perfect read on life's reflections." That is 100% false and the opposite of this memoir.
There isn't an uplifting moment in it, unless her throw-away moment when she decides to finally become sober. After 20 years of spiraling out of control she just one day stops drinking and drugs. Well, if you could do it then you could have made that same choice two decades earlier, so you can't blame society or men or parents or Hollywood--it's all your individual choice that has to be made every day.
There's little hope in this beyond that single choice. We don't really know what happens at the end beyond a couple pages that allude to a marriage and show reunion, but nothing about her kid that she so longed to have after two abortions.
There will be those that love this book, especially anti-male feminists that think Little House was "too perfect" as Grassle says (it wasn't at all--try watching it to see how politically liberal the show really was and unrealistic for its era). And the 60 pages or so about the show's first season are interesting. But it's filled with depressing negativity that she should take responsibility for. If you want real inspiration go read the Little House books instead.
January 14, 2022
(I would have made the rating 3.5 stars if I could have.)
A well- written memoir, by a lady I have watched on my t.v. screen since I was three.
I went into this book knowing that it was not written by Caroline Ingalls in the 1800s! Rather by a “baby boomer” who was a young adult in the tumultuous 60’s. And whose boss in the 70’s was Michael Landon, loved for his directing and acting, but also known to hold grudges and pout like a child when crossed.
The chapters about Karen’s childhood were my favorites. Her writing style reminded me of another author’s memoirs, The Girl from Yamhill and My Own Two Feet, by Beverly Cleary. Both of these women wrote about their lives with much straightforwardness and clarity, a style I enjoy reading.
I do wish the chapters about Karen’s “Little House” experiences had been longer, but that’s because I grew up with the show and love reading anecdotes about it. To put your personal life in print for anyone to see is an extremely brave thing to do. Karen revealed herself, “warts and all”, in a very realistic way. I have even more respect for this wonderful lady now!
(And, I am hopefully going to meet her at a book signing next week!😃)
A well- written memoir, by a lady I have watched on my t.v. screen since I was three.
I went into this book knowing that it was not written by Caroline Ingalls in the 1800s! Rather by a “baby boomer” who was a young adult in the tumultuous 60’s. And whose boss in the 70’s was Michael Landon, loved for his directing and acting, but also known to hold grudges and pout like a child when crossed.
The chapters about Karen’s childhood were my favorites. Her writing style reminded me of another author’s memoirs, The Girl from Yamhill and My Own Two Feet, by Beverly Cleary. Both of these women wrote about their lives with much straightforwardness and clarity, a style I enjoy reading.
I do wish the chapters about Karen’s “Little House” experiences had been longer, but that’s because I grew up with the show and love reading anecdotes about it. To put your personal life in print for anyone to see is an extremely brave thing to do. Karen revealed herself, “warts and all”, in a very realistic way. I have even more respect for this wonderful lady now!
(And, I am hopefully going to meet her at a book signing next week!😃)
January 3, 2022
The first half of this book was unbelievably boring. I soldiered through because I figured it would get more interesting once Grassle got her role on Little House, and it did. We learn some things about her eight years on the series (including her efforts to increase her salary after the first year, since she’d been an unknown and was severely underpaid, and how Landon punished her by freezing her out and reducing her time on-screen).
I learned that Grassle had depression for many years and struggled with alcoholism. I liked hearing about her feminist leanings, including making a movie about battered women and trying to help get the Equal Rights Amendment passed.
I learned that Grassle had depression for many years and struggled with alcoholism. I liked hearing about her feminist leanings, including making a movie about battered women and trying to help get the Equal Rights Amendment passed.
December 28, 2021
I struggled with this one. Too much pre-little house discussion and absolutely nothing post-little house so no way of really knowing how life went when show ended.
I had a feeling I wouldn’t like “ma” after reading this, but wasn’t prepared for the lack of accountability for actions. I am sure being a woman in a man’s world was terrible, but it was written where you root for Karen. Instead it feels like she got what the drunk had coming which is not what I expected.
Wished it had contained a bit more of Karen’s highlights/good things to offset the struggles.
I usually enjoy glimpses into celebrities lives as proof they are human, but this one was just sad and not that enjoyable.
I had a feeling I wouldn’t like “ma” after reading this, but wasn’t prepared for the lack of accountability for actions. I am sure being a woman in a man’s world was terrible, but it was written where you root for Karen. Instead it feels like she got what the drunk had coming which is not what I expected.
Wished it had contained a bit more of Karen’s highlights/good things to offset the struggles.
I usually enjoy glimpses into celebrities lives as proof they are human, but this one was just sad and not that enjoyable.
December 2, 2021
So Disappointing
I had been looking forward to this book! What a major disappointment. I have read both books by the Melissa's. Along with several other cast members. This is by far the least interesting. I almost gave up on it. Move on not worth the money or time!
I had been looking forward to this book! What a major disappointment. I have read both books by the Melissa's. Along with several other cast members. This is by far the least interesting. I almost gave up on it. Move on not worth the money or time!
October 10, 2021
My Review Of
BRIGHT LIGHTS, PRAIRIE DUST
By Author, Karen Grassle
Published by sheWritesPress
Gifted by Publicist @MB Communications
On Sale: 10/19/21
*****
This was such a keen and no holds barred memoir of Karen Grassle; known as “Ma” on Little House on the Prairie. If you’ve read all the books and watched every episode like I have, you know that kinship you feel just by seeing a picture of Karen Grassle. We journeyed so many miles and went through so much heartbreak and triumph’s with her and the Wilder family.
Now she writes of her life growing up with an alcoholic father that tried to commit suicide, all the while struggling to fit in and find her identity. She tells of her strengths, weaknesses and lapses in judgement. Her journey to be educated at Berkley, to following her heart to do theatre and eventually evolving and landing a tv series. The quest to find love and using her promiscuity to try and obtain it. It’s a constant up and down hill battle leading her in and out of depression and following the path into alcoholism like her father. Her blatant honesty about what it was like filming Little House on the Prairie and her struggles for equality in contracts and pay. The sides of Michael Landon she sees and having to deal with him as a boss and as a fellow actor lets you into a world that you never knew beyond the tv screen. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written and fascinating read.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, PRAIRIE DUST
By Author, Karen Grassle
Published by sheWritesPress
Gifted by Publicist @MB Communications
On Sale: 10/19/21
*****
This was such a keen and no holds barred memoir of Karen Grassle; known as “Ma” on Little House on the Prairie. If you’ve read all the books and watched every episode like I have, you know that kinship you feel just by seeing a picture of Karen Grassle. We journeyed so many miles and went through so much heartbreak and triumph’s with her and the Wilder family.
Now she writes of her life growing up with an alcoholic father that tried to commit suicide, all the while struggling to fit in and find her identity. She tells of her strengths, weaknesses and lapses in judgement. Her journey to be educated at Berkley, to following her heart to do theatre and eventually evolving and landing a tv series. The quest to find love and using her promiscuity to try and obtain it. It’s a constant up and down hill battle leading her in and out of depression and following the path into alcoholism like her father. Her blatant honesty about what it was like filming Little House on the Prairie and her struggles for equality in contracts and pay. The sides of Michael Landon she sees and having to deal with him as a boss and as a fellow actor lets you into a world that you never knew beyond the tv screen. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written and fascinating read.
October 8, 2022
I normally enjoy any memoir no matter how “out there” someone may be. But I couldn’t wait for this book to be over!🤨
The first half of the book is her growing up years and how she got into theatre in college. Her father was an alcoholic which trickled down to her following suit. Then she had to describe when she started sleeping around and how much “freedom” she felt when the pill came out. Yet in that time frame she had 2 abortions!😡
When she finally got to the Little House tv show the first season had some interesting parts, but after that all she did was complain about Michael Landon (which he did have his issues), how she didn’t get paid enough and she deserved a greater role on the show. It’s a miracle she stayed for 8 seasons, but she made it sound like drudgery and “well, it’s a job.”
I bet Michael Landon regretted the day he cast her.
And in the midst of all that she was drinking more and spiraling into depression. Basically everything that Ma Ingalls was -Karen Grassle was the exact opposite. 🤦🏻♀️
She eventually does sober up and when she’s 40 she realizes she wants what Ma Ingalls has -a faithful husband and stable family. She then says how sleeping around really isn’t so good and how she wants a baby now, yet she doesn’t condemn her behavior in the beginning of the book.
Classic Hollywood failure of a life: 3 failed marriages, what she thought was freedom held her in bondage.
Basically don’t read this book -too depressing! 😆
The first half of the book is her growing up years and how she got into theatre in college. Her father was an alcoholic which trickled down to her following suit. Then she had to describe when she started sleeping around and how much “freedom” she felt when the pill came out. Yet in that time frame she had 2 abortions!😡
When she finally got to the Little House tv show the first season had some interesting parts, but after that all she did was complain about Michael Landon (which he did have his issues), how she didn’t get paid enough and she deserved a greater role on the show. It’s a miracle she stayed for 8 seasons, but she made it sound like drudgery and “well, it’s a job.”
I bet Michael Landon regretted the day he cast her.
And in the midst of all that she was drinking more and spiraling into depression. Basically everything that Ma Ingalls was -Karen Grassle was the exact opposite. 🤦🏻♀️
She eventually does sober up and when she’s 40 she realizes she wants what Ma Ingalls has -a faithful husband and stable family. She then says how sleeping around really isn’t so good and how she wants a baby now, yet she doesn’t condemn her behavior in the beginning of the book.
Classic Hollywood failure of a life: 3 failed marriages, what she thought was freedom held her in bondage.
Basically don’t read this book -too depressing! 😆
August 29, 2021
This heart-breaking story is not for the faint of heart. Little House's "Ma" did not experience what we all imagine her experiencing. I do love her honestly and vulnerability, even though the story is hard to digest as a lifelong Little House fan.
March 26, 2022
I feel like half the reviews about this complain Grassle is a real person and that it isn't only about LHOTP.
They mean she's a real person who does things they don't approve of and had a (interesting) life outside one TV show.
They mean she's a real person who does things they don't approve of and had a (interesting) life outside one TV show.
March 28, 2022
The best I can say about this book is that I wish I had never read it. I’m glad I didn’t read it before becoming a fan of the Little House on the Prairie TV show. In reality, this is not a woman I would feel comfortable being in my home or trusting as a friend. She has great skill as an actress. I will gladly give her that. I’m just not sure she understands what trust, discretion, and loyalty look like.
January 18, 2022
I guess I was hoping for more about her Little House on the Prairie experiences. From the cover, title and chapter quotes the book is clearly being marketed that way. To Grassle's credit, whatever conflicts and disappointments were going on in the background, they did not mar her performance in the least. It's nice that the book ends on a positive note and I really hope she has found fulfillment in her life post-Little House.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
January 15, 2022
She wrote this for herself, not thinking at all of the audience. Self absorbed and truly disappointing. Not for a Little House fan because that was only 15% of the book. Little to no mention of anyone but Charles and Harriet.
December 29, 2021
Meh. Another poor me
Difficult to read. Slow moving and full of insecurities from the author. Didn't really have a good flow to it. If you are thinking this would be a trip down nostalgia lane of Little House, think again.
Difficult to read. Slow moving and full of insecurities from the author. Didn't really have a good flow to it. If you are thinking this would be a trip down nostalgia lane of Little House, think again.
May 11, 2022
This book contains very personal details about Karen's life. I think i would have been happier with a kid friendly version. She has gone through many challenges which have shaped her as a person and actress. I think i respect her acting more after reading about her alcoholism, poor treatment by a coworker/producer, and what sounds like much mental distress and anger, that she could play a heart warming, gentle loving character. She appeared to have a good chemistry with her tv husband, but behind the scenes struggled terribly with him. While i love reading biographies if people i respect, it also can be very difficult when you hear things that are so contrary to how yoh esteem the person. I think i would have liked the book better if it werent quite as explicit.
December 18, 2021
Karen Grassle is so much more than Caroline Ingalls. In her book, she shares her struggles, imperfections and, ultimately, her resilience. I finished the book in 2 days. So so good!
March 26, 2022
I had been looking forward to reading this book for months. While I did enjoy reading about her early life and her time on Little House on the Prairie, I was bored by her college years and her time before she played Ma. The majority of that part of the book seemed to be about her theater experience, her alcoholism, her sex life, and the drugs she used. I skipped about 100 pages of that section because I just couldn't read about it anymore.
The book ends abruptly. I would have liked her to have written about her life up until the time the book was published.
The book ends abruptly. I would have liked her to have written about her life up until the time the book was published.
December 23, 2021
Trying to read this was like slogging through a swamp. A few good points, but not worth the time or energy.
January 19, 2022
While I haven't watched every documentary or read every memoir about the making of the Little House show, the few that I have read or seen had a strange lack of Karen Grassle, especially given the size of the role she played, something my mom and I had found to be curious. When Karen Grassle's memoir came out and the news was released about the bitter contract dispute over her pay with Michael Landon, I started to get a feel for why that was and when I found the memoir at my library I decided to give it a read.
Frankly, it is one of the worst memoirs I have read. The beginning was incredibly boring and poorly written. While she would spend paragraphs on flowery descriptions of nature she would change subjects abruptly, mid-paragraph when discussing people or events that was rather jarring. Subjects were broached quickly and dropped just as quickly segueing into discussions that had little relevance to the previous topic. And her life was a Who's Who of characters I didn't know or care about. It was tediously boring.
I eventually decided that I would skip to where she started working on the show and if I didn't start to gain interest I would give up. And once I started Ch 14 it did hold my interest and I did enjoy hearing how she got started on the show and her early memories of the show. I've only read Melissa Gilbert's memoir and the beginning of Melissa Francis's one, and it was good to have an adult's perspective of the show. I also found her thoughts about playing a prudish, submissive woman when she was a feminist and how she learned to embrace the character fascinating. I also found it interesting to learn how she helped to get the first woman writer on the show and brought some feminism to the show.
Regarding the dispute with Michael Landon over her pay, first when reading memoirs I tend to go in with a lot of compassion. It must take a lot of guts to put your life out where people will judge it harshly. I had read the reviews of this book as I tried to determine whether or not to continue reading and contrary to a lot of the reviews I found that she was rather complementary of Landon despite their later falling out. She spent nearly two chapters praising his work ethic and desire to see the show succeed. And she also had good reasons to be upset about the situation with her contract. She was not treated fairly, and when people aren't treated fairly, it's human nature to become resentful.
While Michael Landon had a lot of laudatory characteristics he also had a dark side, like we all do, and Karen Grassle seems to have born the brunt of it. The silent treatment is a horrible thing to endure and her time of the show must have been very hard. And she did not cope with it well.
Karen did take responsibility for her drinking and the fact that even without alcohol she had difficulties with emotional regulation. It seems she was in therapy while filming Little House and she was trying to work on herself. She was also active in recovery once she admitted that her drinking had gotten out of control.
Overall Karen Grassle was very complimentary to her co-stars and the crew and shared warm anecdotes about many of them that I enjoyed. She did discuss how Michael Landon abandoned his wife for a younger woman, something Melissa Gilbert also talked about and that was apparently a bit of a scandal at the time. And what struck me about it was her empathy for Landon's wife who had supported him so much through the years.
Karen Grassle also worked to ratify the ERA and brought awareness to domestic violence with her tv film, Battered. As a woman who benefitted from her activism I do appreciate hearing her story. I don't think a male actor would have been told that he should accept the same salary as the child actors and it is important to know her story so we know why women did organize for equal rights. In other words, I don't think she set out to malign Michael Landon out of malice, and it seems as if they did come to some sort of truce before he died.
I just wish it had been better written. After describing how Little House ended she finished the memoir rather abruptly, leaving a lot of threads hanging. Was she successful staying in recovery? Did she learn to regulate her emotions? Was she able to have the family she desired? Hard to say, though if I'm honest I likely would not have continued to read after the Little House years wrapped up.
Overall, I would recommend that most people skip this unless you are a big fan of the show or actress. And if you are a big fan, then I would recommend getting the book from the library, seeing if you can get into it and if not just skip straight to chapter 14 and read on from there.
Frankly, it is one of the worst memoirs I have read. The beginning was incredibly boring and poorly written. While she would spend paragraphs on flowery descriptions of nature she would change subjects abruptly, mid-paragraph when discussing people or events that was rather jarring. Subjects were broached quickly and dropped just as quickly segueing into discussions that had little relevance to the previous topic. And her life was a Who's Who of characters I didn't know or care about. It was tediously boring.
I eventually decided that I would skip to where she started working on the show and if I didn't start to gain interest I would give up. And once I started Ch 14 it did hold my interest and I did enjoy hearing how she got started on the show and her early memories of the show. I've only read Melissa Gilbert's memoir and the beginning of Melissa Francis's one, and it was good to have an adult's perspective of the show. I also found her thoughts about playing a prudish, submissive woman when she was a feminist and how she learned to embrace the character fascinating. I also found it interesting to learn how she helped to get the first woman writer on the show and brought some feminism to the show.
Regarding the dispute with Michael Landon over her pay, first when reading memoirs I tend to go in with a lot of compassion. It must take a lot of guts to put your life out where people will judge it harshly. I had read the reviews of this book as I tried to determine whether or not to continue reading and contrary to a lot of the reviews I found that she was rather complementary of Landon despite their later falling out. She spent nearly two chapters praising his work ethic and desire to see the show succeed. And she also had good reasons to be upset about the situation with her contract. She was not treated fairly, and when people aren't treated fairly, it's human nature to become resentful.
While Michael Landon had a lot of laudatory characteristics he also had a dark side, like we all do, and Karen Grassle seems to have born the brunt of it. The silent treatment is a horrible thing to endure and her time of the show must have been very hard. And she did not cope with it well.
Karen did take responsibility for her drinking and the fact that even without alcohol she had difficulties with emotional regulation. It seems she was in therapy while filming Little House and she was trying to work on herself. She was also active in recovery once she admitted that her drinking had gotten out of control.
Overall Karen Grassle was very complimentary to her co-stars and the crew and shared warm anecdotes about many of them that I enjoyed. She did discuss how Michael Landon abandoned his wife for a younger woman, something Melissa Gilbert also talked about and that was apparently a bit of a scandal at the time. And what struck me about it was her empathy for Landon's wife who had supported him so much through the years.
Karen Grassle also worked to ratify the ERA and brought awareness to domestic violence with her tv film, Battered. As a woman who benefitted from her activism I do appreciate hearing her story. I don't think a male actor would have been told that he should accept the same salary as the child actors and it is important to know her story so we know why women did organize for equal rights. In other words, I don't think she set out to malign Michael Landon out of malice, and it seems as if they did come to some sort of truce before he died.
I just wish it had been better written. After describing how Little House ended she finished the memoir rather abruptly, leaving a lot of threads hanging. Was she successful staying in recovery? Did she learn to regulate her emotions? Was she able to have the family she desired? Hard to say, though if I'm honest I likely would not have continued to read after the Little House years wrapped up.
Overall, I would recommend that most people skip this unless you are a big fan of the show or actress. And if you are a big fan, then I would recommend getting the book from the library, seeing if you can get into it and if not just skip straight to chapter 14 and read on from there.
February 28, 2022
Bright Lights, Prairie Dust is an autobiography by Karen Grassle who played Caroline Ingalls (Ma) in Little House on the Prairie. She discussed her parents, her father was an alcoholic who committed suicide with pills and alcohol. She brings up all the theater work she did in New York which didn’t really pay. She explained her living conditions which consisted of no money or little money, how her parents helped her financially by giving her $100 a month and how she stretched her money out. She discussed her boyfriends and 2 marriages. Throughout the book she speaks about her alcoholism, smoking pot, suicide attempts and mental illness (depression). She brings up two abortions, one illegal in Mexico and one legal in NY. She discussed her work for women to have equal rights. She explained how she was about to give up acting and go to college for psychology when the call came in for her to go to California for the role of Ma in Little House on the Prairie which became beloved by many. After season one she discussed how she wanted a pay raise even though she was in contract and how her role was cut back on while in negotiations. During these negotiations she again spirals out of control by drinking, smoking and attacking everyone close to her. She made Michael Landon into a likable person on camera but someone different behind it. He was the one who refused her pay increase , cut her Ma scenes, made cruel and crude jokes, made insults about the actors behind their backs while watching them on screen, cheated on his wife with an 18 yr old actress on the show who he married after his divorce and had children with. She ended the book with the last episode of Little House where they blow up the set and the actors have a reunion and one of them acknowledged what she went through while on set which included being ignored.
I have always loved Little House on the Prairie since I was a kid. This book definitely put the actress in a different light than the character she portrayed. The role made her famous yet she wasn’t happy playing the role of Ma who was a sweet person . To Karen, Caroline was someone that did what her husband wanted , stayed at home and raised the kids, basically opposite of the liberal feminist Karen was and stood for. During her theater work which I found boring she spoke about scraping by financially even taking money from her parents yet she made no attempt to work a side job while trying to find a paying acting job. She whined and complained and dealt with everything with drinking and smoking (yet she was broke). I applaud her for getting sober and standing for women’s rights. She felt entitled to get a pay raise after one season and no prior television experience. She slept around even with married men and spoke about her 2 abortions lightly. I felt like she played the victim role well when explaining her life. I wish she spoke more about the Little House series instead of complaining about Michael Landon when she did. She ended up being the one to tell everyone she wasn’t coming back to Little House so that was the end. Not the read I was expecting
I have always loved Little House on the Prairie since I was a kid. This book definitely put the actress in a different light than the character she portrayed. The role made her famous yet she wasn’t happy playing the role of Ma who was a sweet person . To Karen, Caroline was someone that did what her husband wanted , stayed at home and raised the kids, basically opposite of the liberal feminist Karen was and stood for. During her theater work which I found boring she spoke about scraping by financially even taking money from her parents yet she made no attempt to work a side job while trying to find a paying acting job. She whined and complained and dealt with everything with drinking and smoking (yet she was broke). I applaud her for getting sober and standing for women’s rights. She felt entitled to get a pay raise after one season and no prior television experience. She slept around even with married men and spoke about her 2 abortions lightly. I felt like she played the victim role well when explaining her life. I wish she spoke more about the Little House series instead of complaining about Michael Landon when she did. She ended up being the one to tell everyone she wasn’t coming back to Little House so that was the end. Not the read I was expecting
December 2, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a loyal LHOTP fan, I know that, despite the tone and status of the show, everything didn’t go well on the set. Others who were there already wrote about it. It is moving and always interesting to read Karen’s story, the ups and downs she experienced, on and off the set, before and after the filming. Writing with sincerity, Karen doesn’t give herself the good part. It’s her side of the story, but she honestly tells about her life, her values, her mistakes and her achievements.
It is captivating to read Karen’s account of her childhood and her years as a student and then as a young actress pursuing her dreams, all this through the turbulent 60s and mid 70s, in California, New-York City and London. Reading about the successes, failures and hardships she faced, and how she dealt with them, is quite engrossing, and also intriguing, because clearly Karen and “Caroline” couldn’t be more different ! Yes, Mike Landon is losing a few feathers along the pages, but we already know he was not the saint many fans still believe he was. But Karen’s honesty about her own flaws, demonstrates brilliantly that nothing is either black or white, and she’s able to highlight the good as well as the bad in all those people (celebrities like Mike Landon, or unknown) who crossed her path.
Yes, Mike Landon was not always a good guy. Yes, Karen Grassle was definitely not “Ma”. They were human beings and that doesn’t change at all my fondness for the show.
It is also quite interesting to read about the fights Karen led for women’s rights over the years, and the strong beliefs and values that are a constant in her life.
When you finish the book, you just wish you could meet Karen in a cosy cafe or restaurant and continue the conversation.
It is captivating to read Karen’s account of her childhood and her years as a student and then as a young actress pursuing her dreams, all this through the turbulent 60s and mid 70s, in California, New-York City and London. Reading about the successes, failures and hardships she faced, and how she dealt with them, is quite engrossing, and also intriguing, because clearly Karen and “Caroline” couldn’t be more different ! Yes, Mike Landon is losing a few feathers along the pages, but we already know he was not the saint many fans still believe he was. But Karen’s honesty about her own flaws, demonstrates brilliantly that nothing is either black or white, and she’s able to highlight the good as well as the bad in all those people (celebrities like Mike Landon, or unknown) who crossed her path.
Yes, Mike Landon was not always a good guy. Yes, Karen Grassle was definitely not “Ma”. They were human beings and that doesn’t change at all my fondness for the show.
It is also quite interesting to read about the fights Karen led for women’s rights over the years, and the strong beliefs and values that are a constant in her life.
When you finish the book, you just wish you could meet Karen in a cosy cafe or restaurant and continue the conversation.
December 5, 2024
This is more a solid 3.5…I always felt like Ma was somewhat of a mystery. This book certainly pulls back the curtain. Karen and Ma don’t have much in common. It was an interesting read, but by the end I was left wanting some of the mystery back 🤷🏻♀️
February 23, 2022
Actually, I didn't finish it, which is very rare for me.
June 7, 2024
If I was rating this book on how much I like and respect Karen Grassle, I’d give her 5 stars.
BRIGHT LIGHTS PRAIRIE DUST was a slog. As wonderful an actress Grassle is, she’s not an engaging narrator. Her soothing voice, appropriate in acting, had me struggling to stay engaged. Laden with uninteresting details, I wish Grassle had chosen the memoir route, more narrative nonfiction route.
BRIGHT LIGHTS PRAIRIE DUST was a slog. As wonderful an actress Grassle is, she’s not an engaging narrator. Her soothing voice, appropriate in acting, had me struggling to stay engaged. Laden with uninteresting details, I wish Grassle had chosen the memoir route, more narrative nonfiction route.
February 3, 2022
Wow!! What a life. I would have never known her life behind the screen. What a take of ups and downs.
March 3, 2022
Ma Ingalls was an alcoholic!
I was so excited to read this book. I wanted to know things about the filming of one of my favorite shows. Not quite to be in this book.
The books starts out telling about Ms Grassle's grandparents and parents but not in too much of a way that makes the book more about them. We go into her life as a young child and eventually as a young women who wants to study theater.
It turns into a boring depiction of someone trying to find herself in theater but any disappointments lead to relationships with many men and alcohol. Its not a book on alcoholism other than saying she would drink a lot, glass of wine in her hand. I'm not saying she wasn't an alcoholic because she was. But she also had several relationships with men.
She doesn't get the job on Little House until about 60% into the book. I was really disappointed because she seems like she didn't go into the show a lot itself. Mainly this part talked about after season one trying to get her contract for a pay raise due to the popularity of the show (and she deserved it) and how Michael Landon would avoid the conversation for years- yes, years.
I'm really disappointed that not much was talked about of the filming. During this time for her there was lots of drinking and men. I lost track of all the boyfriends. Just kinda running on about those two things more than anything.
Ms Grassley does write about her involvement with battered women and bringing more attention to it as well as helping to get nationwide more shelters opened for women (only two nationwide starting out when she first became involved.
That in itself is something to be commended.
Towards the end, she mentions her two abortions which seems like she wasn't sure if she wanted to add it in and decided at the last minute to put it in her book. I would have preferred that she be honest about it and put it in the story as it happened, not like a final decision at the end to go ahead and add it.
Overall the book was ok. I just wanted to know more about her time filming Little House because to me that's what the title and the promotion of the book when it was released talked about. There was a lot of emphasis when this book came out about how Michael Landon treated her. Not hardly any mention of any other people from the show and that was 8 years. It seemed like she wasn't happy filming Little House was my conclusion.
I was so excited to read this book. I wanted to know things about the filming of one of my favorite shows. Not quite to be in this book.
The books starts out telling about Ms Grassle's grandparents and parents but not in too much of a way that makes the book more about them. We go into her life as a young child and eventually as a young women who wants to study theater.
It turns into a boring depiction of someone trying to find herself in theater but any disappointments lead to relationships with many men and alcohol. Its not a book on alcoholism other than saying she would drink a lot, glass of wine in her hand. I'm not saying she wasn't an alcoholic because she was. But she also had several relationships with men.
She doesn't get the job on Little House until about 60% into the book. I was really disappointed because she seems like she didn't go into the show a lot itself. Mainly this part talked about after season one trying to get her contract for a pay raise due to the popularity of the show (and she deserved it) and how Michael Landon would avoid the conversation for years- yes, years.
I'm really disappointed that not much was talked about of the filming. During this time for her there was lots of drinking and men. I lost track of all the boyfriends. Just kinda running on about those two things more than anything.
Ms Grassley does write about her involvement with battered women and bringing more attention to it as well as helping to get nationwide more shelters opened for women (only two nationwide starting out when she first became involved.
That in itself is something to be commended.
Towards the end, she mentions her two abortions which seems like she wasn't sure if she wanted to add it in and decided at the last minute to put it in her book. I would have preferred that she be honest about it and put it in the story as it happened, not like a final decision at the end to go ahead and add it.
Overall the book was ok. I just wanted to know more about her time filming Little House because to me that's what the title and the promotion of the book when it was released talked about. There was a lot of emphasis when this book came out about how Michael Landon treated her. Not hardly any mention of any other people from the show and that was 8 years. It seemed like she wasn't happy filming Little House was my conclusion.
May 10, 2024
I had so many mixed feelings about this book. Little House on the Prairie has always been one of my favorite shows, and I always like hearing behind the scenes stories about shows I enjoy. I was disappointed that, even though her title (and cover picture) references the show, there wasn’t as many behind the scenes stories as I wished there would have been. The chapters that went through the process of her getting the part to the filming process and her interactions with the other actors was really interesting and I enjoyed them.
But that didn’t even start until over halfway through the book—the first half was full of a frankly really depressing story of her childhood/young adulthood, including a lot about her very stereotypical “free love” time as a teenager/college kid in the early 60s. It also bothered me how judgmental she was of Michael Landon’s lifestyle (cheating on his wife, drinking, etc.) when she was literally doing the same. things. I will say, she does (for the most part) own her mistakes with drinking and in her marriages, and is very reflective on her realizations of those later in life. She just very much paints Landon as a villain even as she behaved very similarly (but she’s a woman, so it’s okay). I also disliked having to hear her justify her abortions and her derogatory commentary on pro-lifers and social conservatives. Blech.
If the majority of the book had been her story of her time on LHOTP, I would have given it 4 stars.
But that didn’t even start until over halfway through the book—the first half was full of a frankly really depressing story of her childhood/young adulthood, including a lot about her very stereotypical “free love” time as a teenager/college kid in the early 60s. It also bothered me how judgmental she was of Michael Landon’s lifestyle (cheating on his wife, drinking, etc.) when she was literally doing the same. things. I will say, she does (for the most part) own her mistakes with drinking and in her marriages, and is very reflective on her realizations of those later in life. She just very much paints Landon as a villain even as she behaved very similarly (but she’s a woman, so it’s okay). I also disliked having to hear her justify her abortions and her derogatory commentary on pro-lifers and social conservatives. Blech.
If the majority of the book had been her story of her time on LHOTP, I would have given it 4 stars.
April 13, 2022
I liked it, but it was a bit baffling. As devoted as she was to the THEATAH, I was interested in finding out how she ended up on LHOTP. How someone with pretty much no tv/film experience wins a starring role in a series? I still don't know. They really must have been going for "a look", I guess. Not that she wasn't wonderful in the part. And then the book ends rather abruptly. She and her then-husband were happy and looking forward to hopefully becoming parents. You have to do your own research to find out what happens - they adopted, split up and she has been married again since that. And then there was an early 2000s LHOTP mini-reunion, which apparently gave her the closure she needed. But it would have been nice to know a little more about the last ~20 years.
March 29, 2024
I’m surprised I finished. I kept hoping it would get better, that she would get better. The first half of the book is a complete snooze fest about Karen’s theatrical career. Her mental health issues, alcoholism, sleeping around, and feminist rants are throughout the entire book. Even in recovery she still holds no accountability for her actions. I wasn’t expecting Karen Grassle to resemble Caroline Ingalls but I wasn’t expecting this. So much negativity, I have compassion for her struggles but the way she comes off is completely unlikable. There’s not much about Little House in this but plenty about her contempt for Michael Landon. Karen is entitled and insufferable. The book abruptly ends after the final season of Little House and her talking about her abortions.
April 14, 2023
I technically didn’t finish this book. Sadly, while I liked parts of it it also was a really hard book to like as a whole. For one Karen made it sound almost as if she was a part of witness to every major event that had happened during her life. The final straw for me was when she began talking about her abortions and how they made her stronger as a person and yet she was sad that she hadn’t had a child yet. Maybe, it was better to just know her as the actress who played Ma Ingalls and not find out all the real life stuff.
February 1, 2022
simply wonderful
Perfectly written memoir. It will keep your attention from beginning to end. I appreciate Karen Grassle not just as an actor but also a writer. Thank you.
Perfectly written memoir. It will keep your attention from beginning to end. I appreciate Karen Grassle not just as an actor but also a writer. Thank you.
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