Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Challenges
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Reading Challenge Nov. -Dec.-Jan.
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I'd enjoy this, as both the book on Wilder and the New Zealand book look interesting. I was born in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. So if we're thinking near to Vancouver, this memoir is one I've heard good things about: Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life by Brian Brett. Also David Chariandy's Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You. So is the idea we can pick whichever one we'd like to read?
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I'll make a list of where people are from and you can choose a book from one of those locales.
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1.) Koren- read a book that takes place in Minnesota or Northern Iowa
2.)Selina- read a book that takes place in New Zealand
3.)Rachel- read a book that takes place near Vancouver, or if unable to find one read a book that takes place in Canada.
4.) Lady Belleza- read a book that takes place in New York.
Read at least one book to satisfy the challenge.
Koren wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I'd enjoy this, as both the book on Wilder and the New Zealand book look interesting. I was born in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. So if we're thinking near to Vancouver, this memoir is one..."Sounds good, Koren! I'll see what's available here.
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Our library had Trauma Farm as an e-book so I will check it out.
Rachel I read one recently called Heart Soil: The Revolutionary Good of Gardens by Des Kennedy and I remember he mentioned he lived near Vancouver. It was very interesting. Its a bunch of essays about gardening so gardeners may be interested in this one!
Thanks, Selina. Yes, we have a lot of good writers about the earth and the environment: David Suzuki, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, authors of The 100 Mile Diet...Okay, will see what I can get to read as an ebook here.
Best,
Rachel
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"One of the crimes of our time is that most of us no longer know the birds of our region-so many ears are stopped with the headphones of personal music devices".
I am a birdwatcher and have tried to teach my children and grandchildren about the birds but they dont seem very interested so this really hit home.
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Oh goody The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books is ready to pick up at the library, will fetch it tomorrow. Would you believe I've read all of Anne of Green Gables series but none of the Little House on the Prairie? Koren do you live on the Prairie or close by to one? What exactly is it? We dont have them in NZ.
Koren wrote: "Reading Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life which takes place near Rachel in Canada. Loving the descriptions of the native habitat and wildlife. It sounds beautiful. When I th..."Hi Koren, The west coast of Canada, where I live, is completely different than the frozen north and prairies. We happen to be living in France for part of this year, but at home, I'm about 15 minutes' walk from the ocean, and I spent my first years on an island much like the one in Trauma Farm (smaller, though)! I hope you enjoy it--it's been on my list of books to read for a while now...
I'm in New York, specifically NYC.
Lady ♥ Belleza wrote: "I'm in New York, specifically NYC."That will be a fun challenge--so many great books to choose from!
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Selina, there is very little, if any, virgin prairie left. When the farmers moved to the Midwest they plowed most of it up for farming. Anyway, a prairie is a flat grassland and some native wildflowers and not very many trees.
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It sounds beautiful and yes, I am liking the book a lot.
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Welcome to the challenge Lady Belleza. I will add your name to the list.
I am struggling to come up with books "by region."
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What region are you wanting to read? Or are you thinking of your region?
I inadvertantly picked up a memoir that is partly set in one of the islands off the coast of New Zealand. I wasn't meaning to read about my own country, but thought it looked interesting, a Memoir by a Shepherd. It's called The Sheep Stell by Janet White. The author is from the UK but she spent some time in NZ sheep farming. It's a wonderfully idyllic memoir. But yes some species of NZ male can be a dodgy. As you might find out in this book, first published in 1991.
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Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "I am struggling to come up with books "by region.""What region are you wanting to read? Or are you thinking of your region?"
I thought we weren't supposed to read about our own region! Someone else's...*shrug*
I just mentioned the Sheep Stell book in case anyone was looking for a book set in NZ. I didnt meant to read it as picked it up before I knew about the challenge. I have now got the book about Laura Ingalls Wilder and even the tv series, and requested the first Little House on the Prairie book. I never came across them when I was growing up. So It will be like discovering a new land for me. If anyone's looking for childrens fiction set in NZ, even the town where I grew up, Maurice Gee wrote a really popular one called Under the Mountain set in Auckland which is built on top of dormant volcanoes.
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What region are you wanting to read? Or are you thinking of your region?"
I thought we weren't supposed to read ..."
Right. I was just confused by your question. Pick a book from a region another member lives.
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Region could be loosely interpreted. For instance, if you wanted to read a book from my region we would accept Minnesota, Northern Iowa, or even upper Midwest if that's the best you can do. Dont stress about this! It's just to get people talking about where they live. For instance, I am learning a lot about the Vancouver area in Canada.
And I am learning about the Maori and European settlements in New Zealand--I'm about halfway through Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story. Really enjoying this challenge, Koren. reply | flag *
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I am waiting for We Will Kill And Eat You to come from the library.
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I am even learning a lot about my own region as there is a lot of history in Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
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Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life by Brian Brett
5 stars and a heart
I had various emotions while reading this book about farming in a small island community in Canada. Frustration over how all the government regulations make it impossible for the small farmer to compete and favor the corporate farmer that raises livestock in cramped factory farms where the animals never see the light of day. Horror at how the animals are treated in the factory farms(even though I live in farm country too and pretty much knew it already, I am one of those in the book that dont want to know what my meat looked like before it came to the store). Happiness for his own animals and pets and how wonderfully they were treated by him and how quite a few of them were almost like family. Sadness when those animals had to depart from this world. And a lot of sadness and frustration when a lot of this book tells how humans are basically destroying the earth with their methods of farming and factories. This guy is truly a steward of the land and that is something that is rapidly becoming one of the endangered species that he talks so much about in the book.
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Rachel, reading about all the government regulations that restrict what the small farmer can sell, I think the United States are almost as bad, but as far as I know we dont have government agents going to Farmer's Markets and arresting people that dont do everything the way the government says they should. Holy cow!!
Koren wrote: "Koren wrote: "Finished my first book for the challenge, which is near Rachel. It takes place on Salt Spring Island which is by Vancouver, Canada. There were no pictures in the book so I googled and..."Wow! I'll have to read it as well now, Koren. We've spent many happy weeks at our friends' farm on Salt Spring Island, and gone to that market as well, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. And I share your feelings about government interference and factory farming. Thanks for the review of Trauma Farm.
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Thank you for recommending it. I have to laugh that you haven't even read it yet and it turned out to be one of the best books I've read this year.
If anyone would like a similar book to Trauma Farm, Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm says a lot of the same things that are said in Trauma Farm and takes place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia.
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Rachel, there were no pictures in the book so I googled. Salt Spring Island is certainly very beautiful.
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I can't come up with a book. Maybe next time.
Enjoying the The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books so far. Also got lots of illustrations. I've remember reading similar books about this midwest landscape/region that I found really interesting by Jonathan Raban, one was Bad Land: An American Romance and the other was Old Glory: A Voyage Down the Mississippi he's a Brit so I guess you would call it a travel memoir. One memoir that comes to mind about NZ for US readers is Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer by Antonia Murphy. About a US lady who moves to NZ and inadvertently finds love, and becomes a farmer.
I've requested the Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story book, interesting title, us NZers dont' really talk too much about this bit of our history, that the Maoris used to be cannibals and eat their enemies. And the British colonisers, some of them were ruthless and duplicitous. I mean we get along fine now, but yea, there's always that undercurrent of violence and savagery of the past that's lurking where you least expect it.
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Well, in the U.S. we dont talk much about killing Indians to take their land, either.
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No problem. If you happen to find something before the end of January just hop right in.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Enjoying the The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books so far. Also got lots of illustrations. I've remember rea..."Is there much in the way of Native American literature? I only recall a handful of authors, like Louise Erdrich. Any memoirs? I don't think I've ever read any of what it's like to grow up/live in a reservation.
Ok have finished reading The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books by Marta McDowellIts got lots of illustrations and photos and maps supplementing the text so quite a lavish book. For any fan of her books and someone into plants, they will love it. I had not read any of Wilders books so I was a little lost, but it seems I have to read them now! It seems Laura moved around plenty, from New York to Wisconsin to Missouri to Minnesota, to Florida, even contemplated moving to New Zealand at one stage! Her parents were pioneers and homesteaders, so they were always looking for new lands to farm on their wagon, in the days just before the railroad came, and when it did come there was a lot of land to claim, so it was westward Ho. What I dont quite understand was why they moved around so much. It wasnt explained other than that her Pa was restless.
The landscape that Laura depicted in her books sounds wonderful, she was a real nature person. This author of this book is obviously a fan and a bit heavy on the self-sustaining garden aspect, she even lists the plants Laura mentions and references them to each book she wrote, as if everyone is aching to copy or recreate exactly what Laura did. Also at the end is a kid of guided tour to all the places mentioned in the books and the museums there kind of like a fan trail.
What I learned about Minnesota...Plum Creek was where Laura lived for a while and it sounds idyllic. Praririe grasses are very tall but the roots can go down for ages. Its very windy on a prairie. There's dangers of fires. The winters can be harsh. Apparently the area got turned into a dustbowl, hard to understand when the author claims Lauras parents were very sustainable in their practices, if they were, why did they move so much? There's hardly any mention of Native Americans, so it might be assumed that by the time the Wilder family claimed their land, the Native Americans had moved on or ceded it. This was back in the late 19th century, am not familiar with much of the history, but it seems the buffalo had become kind of extinct by then. The Wilders grew grain and did whatever they could to eke out a living, but it doesnt seem like they grazed animals which you might expect they would given the prairie was all grassland with no trees?!
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That's an interesting thought. I dont remember seeing any memoirs by American Indians either. I remember a movie from the 70's called Billy Jack that was very good.
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Its got lots of illustrations and photos ..."
Selina, I think the book I am reading, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder answers a lot of those questions. If you can get a copy of that book I think it is a lot more researched than the one you have. It also goes into a lot of detail about her life after marriage and moving to Missouri.
I will try to answer some of your questions:
Laura herself never lived in New York or Florida. Her parents came from New York to Wisconsin but could not earn a living in Wisconsin so moved to Minnesota. Then they heard about all the free land in South Dakota so they moved there but there was a drought there and the crops died.Laura and Almanzo got married and tried to make a go of it but the crops kept dying due to drought or grasshoppers so they went to Missouri and lived the rest of their married life in Missouri. They lived in Florida for a short time because her husband was in poor health and they thought the Florida climate would help but it didnt so they moved back. Her parents stayed in South Dakota and spent the rest of their lives there.
The book I read had a little more about the Indians when the Wilders lived in Minnesota and talked about the killing and hanging of Indians in New Ulm and Mankato which is about an hour away from where I live. I believe you are right, they were mostly gone by the time the Wilders arrived. I also think the Wilders had some livestock but not big herds. I think the winters were probably too cold unless they had big barns they would have had to have some shelter.
Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Enjoying the The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books so far. Also got lots of illustrations. I'v..."Oh, there's a ton of Native American authors. Louise Erdrich is a favorite of mine. Her husband, Michael Dorris, is another very good one; they co-wrote an excellent family bio about raising his adopted son. There's a huge list of people...so many my mind goes blank trying to think of them all...John Trudell is a favorite. Sherman Alexie. Dennis McAuliffe, whose memoir of discovering his Osage roots (The Deaths of Sybil Bolton: An American History) really got me to rethink the sanitized interpretations of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Another favorite is Vine Deloria, Jr.
Sounds like a good book Koren, will request that one. I found interesting that it was her daughter that got her into writing. She only had one daughter. And the Ingalls family were all daughters too. Usually thats kind of hard for farming families, even the Sheep Stell author had many daughters but said she wanted a son, as daughters don't usually inherit the family farm they tend to marry out. Laura married another farmer, so she was quite happy to keep living rural, but her daughter didn't.
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Enjoying the The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books so far. Also got lots of ill..."Fishface, was this The Broken Cord just reading the sypnosis, sounds heartbreaking. I kind of wondered about FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) and mothers who drank while pregnant, but what about other toxic substances? I mean mothers are now exposed to more than alcohol these days, and even ingest harmful toxins without even knowing, which could affect their children.
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I'll bet Laura's parents were disappointed to only have girls and traditionally girls didnt help much with the farm work. They did have one boy that died in infancy so maybe they were happy their girls were healthy. Also, people always say they want boys to carry on the family name but I think that is dying out as more girls keep their maiden names these days. When I was pregnant with baby #3 my husband had one brother that had 4 girls, they had 8 sisters, so his mother had almost 40 grandchildren but none were boys with the last name of Turner, and she kept telling me I needed to have a boy to carry on the family name. I had two boys from a previous marriage and wanted a girl, but she got her wish. I never understood that as Turner is a fairly common name.
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Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
5 stars
Most of us are familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House On The Prairie, either from reading the books as children or watching the television show. This book is as much a biography of Laura's life as it is a history of what it was like to live in the late 1800's and early to mid 1900's, I've always had a romanticized view of what it was like to live in that era, but this book will put all those feelings to rest. It was a hard life and there was seldom enough to eat due to locust plagues, Indian attacks, droughts, heat, blizzards. The research that went into this book was incredible and I think probably the most definitive biography you could find about this beloved author.
There is a lot of history here about the Plains Indians and how they were driven from their homes. Just a short while ago there was something in the news about how some school libraries are banning Wilder's books as their are several prejudicial comments against Indians made in the books.
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