Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography in Reading Book Club

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Jan 09, 2015 AAUW rated it really liked it

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A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born, Laura Ingalls Wilder sat down to write her life's story in her own words.

Six tablets later, the retired newspaper columnist handed over the draft of Pioneer Girl to her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. A famous author in her own right, Lane thought the manuscript had potential and sent it to her agent, hoping a magazine or even a publisher would buy it A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born, Laura Ingalls Wilder sat down to write her life's story in her own words.

Six tablets later, the retired newspaper columnist handed over the draft of Pioneer Girl to her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. A famous author in her own right, Lane thought the manuscript had potential and sent it to her agent, hoping a magazine or even a publisher would buy it.

The agent was not encouraging. But Lane, who was struggling financially and professionally, was determined to see the story. She continued to edit, rewrite, and repitch until eventually she had developed two different versions of Pioneer Girl, a fictional story for children and a nonfiction one for adults.

Adapting the story for children proved to be the right move. Harper and Brothers bought the "juvenile manuscript" and started publishing the books in 1932. The rest is children's book history.

But what of the original manuscript? More than 80 years later, Wilder's dreams of publishing her autobiography have come true with Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography.

Editor Pamela Smith Hill's introduction chronicles Wilder's relationship with her daughter, who proved to be a controversial editor, and the trials and tribulations of their publishing efforts. And Hill's annotations to the manuscript offer an impressively well-researched view of the Little House series and its author's life.

Dedicated fans, researchers, and academics will enjoy insights into everything from Wilder's historical accuracy to the ties between the original manuscript and the future Little House years. Yet the true gem of Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography is Wilder's own words. Even as a rough draft, the manuscript is full of suspenseful moments, poetic observations, and plain good storytelling.

Longtime fans will recognize the roots of Little House on the Prairie, but readers need not have read the books or seen the television show to fall in love with Wilder's American tale.

This review originally appeared in the winter 2015 issue of AAUW's membership magazine, AAUW Outlook. ...more

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Jul 21, 2016 Kristyn marked it as to-read

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Jul 31, 2014 South Dakota Historical Society Press rated it it was amazing

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