Laura Ingalls Wilder

by Sallie Ketcham

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote stories that have defined the American frontier for generations of readers. As both author and character in her own books, she became one of the most famous figures in American children’s literature. Her famous Little House on the Prairie series, based on her childhood in Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, and South Dakota, blended memoir and fiction into a vivid depiction of nineteenth-century settler life that continues to shape many Americans’ understanding of the country’s past. Poised between fiction and fact, literature and history, Wilder’s life is a fascinating window on the American West. Placing Wilder’s life and work in historical context, and including previously unpublished material from the Wilder archives, Sallie Ketcham introduces students to domestic frontier life, the conflict between Native Americans and infringing white populations, and the West in public memory and imagination.

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an okay book for adults who are just starting their search for information on LIW.

[Faith Younce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lowkey the same as all of the other Laura Ingalls Wilder bios I've read.

[Nancy Neely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. As a girl I read all of LIW's books. Each Christmas my parents gave the next book in the series to my older sister who would read it first and then pass it on to me. Neither my sister or I ever "cheated" and read the next book at the library. Well, I did, once, when I read just a little bit of the novel which told about Mary going blind. I was horrified, stopped reading, and never let on to my sister Gwen what was coming.

I always wished I could have been a pioneer girl too. This was a lovely book. I was a little surprised at the contention between Laura and her daughter Rose, and I was sad when I read the comment Almanzo made that most of his life had been a disappointment. Overall, I think fans of LIW will enjoy this book. And finally, I must say that the Little House series on TV was an abomination.

[julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very quick read and a really good refresher/overview of LIW's work. Just what I needed to prepare for reading Pioneer Girl.