I was a late bloomer, I must confess. It wasn’t until I was well into my 20’s that I had ever actually read a book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Oh, as a child I joyfully acquired the whole series through a scholastic school book order. It was a pride and joy for me as being raised by a single mother such extravagances where saved for Christmas and birthdays. Each time there was a book order I can remember bringing home the little paper “catalog” and looking through it for hours. I could close my eyes and inhale the new book smell, I could feel the fresh covers and see boxes and boxes of books being unpacked in my mind’s eye at the teachers desk but when it was time to hand in the book order, it was something I rarely asked permission for of my mother.
I’m not sure whatever possessed my mother to give me permission or for me to ask to order such an extravagant series, as it held all 9 of Laura’s books in a cardboard case and must have cost a great deal. Nor am I sure why I picked Laura’s books that one time I could place an order. I suppose it could have been the presentation put on by our school librarian of Laura and her life that set itself so deeply in me at that time, though honestly the only thing I can tell you about it now, some 38 years later, is looking around at all the children sitting on the library floor, looking at the large white screen that had been placed on its metal stand next to the librarians station and the screen blocking out bookshelves of books against the wall. The one slide I remember clearly was of a large commercial jet taking off from a runway and hearing the words “Laura lived from a time of covered wagons and steam engines to see an age of modern technology such as planes and automobiles”. This caught my attention and has stuck with me all these years. Sadly whatever impact it had on me at the time was short lived. As a child of the 70’s I, like many others, had Michael Landon in that era to tell us his version of Laura’s books and being a product of that time, most of us spent an overabundance of time in front of the tv and not in front of books, there seemed to be no need to read her books.
So why did I pick the Little House series on that one rare time I could place a book order? I assume it was something I really wanted at the time. It seems like a large order for someone to place when normally ordering books was not top priority. Maybe it was ordered and then bestowed upon me as a birthday gift. My memory, unlike Laura’s is not that good, though as I age, I find my most of my memories true and growing truer by the years. Oh but I digress. I had this beautiful set of books, by a world famous author and the really amazing thing is, I never read them. Nope, not once in my youth. I held them, looked at them, turned their pages, skimmed over some of the writing but they apparently didn’t draw me enough into the world of pioneers at that time, again I ask from a 10 year olds persective in the 1970’s, “why would it? After all, I had Little House on the Prairie live and in color every week.”
Those books were to survive through my many turbulent years of teens and move after move after bad move. Whether I possessed them all those years or my mother held onto them, I am pained to remember as I can’t. All I know is once Ron and I started our family and books started becoming important in our world, those books were there.
It was the spring of 1995, I was 25 years old with a 4 year old. Ron took us on a camping trip for a weekend that promised to have questionable weather. The previous years, from 1991-93, I had been immersed in the Little House series again, having recorded in on VHS (yes VHS tape) I had played them over and over…..and over…… while I cared for my then infant son/turned young toddler, while cleaning and cooking, always taking in all of the cinema surrounding the series. But in 1993 we had gotten rid of our TV, thus the VHS player as well and I had been feeling a void for connection to those days on the prairie (this is further gone over in my blog post Confessions How the Present Affects the Past Pt 1). So knowing we may spend a good portion of our camping trip in a tent, besides grabbing the board game, I grabbed a book from Laura’s series. Of course I didn’t do it in order, that would make sense. I grabbed “The Long Winter”, the 6th book in her series.
It did rain that weekend and it was a blessed rain as that weekend, I was introduced and introduced my child, to an author of incredible talent and insight. Details of places we were transported to and people we felt like we knew so well by the end of the book had made a lasting impression on us. It reinforced the family values and drive we wanted to place within our own family. It gave Ron and I had chance to establish what kind of role models we wanted for ourselves as husband, as wife, as parents and as people.
Over the years, Laura’s writings have become a trusted family friend. We have read, reread and reread again this series. For the past 3 months, I have been reading the series to Zeb and Simmie, just this week starting the last book, “The First Four Years” which was found amongst Laura’s belongings after her death in 1957. They believe that she had started it prior to Almanzo’s death but lost interest in after his passing. As I was reading this series aloud to the boys these past months, often Ron or RJ or Josiah would wander into the cabin for something for work, to grab a coffee or a quick snack and I would catch them taking their time then finding themselves a seat so they too could hear the some of the stories that we had shared together so many years ago. Though these books where intended for the “juvenile” reader base in the literary world they hold such a strong foundation that it pulls and stretches beyond the age associated with the individual hearing Laura’s word and reaches to their soul and their desire of a life full of meaning and connection, a life that has boundaries and responsibility, a life that is held accountable for their actions and a family and faith that is dependable.
Because I have held Laura’s depiction of a hard working and loving family in high esteem for a good number of decades and as a family even choosing to fashion our life structure in many ways similar to the life in the books, I can without hesitation say I was aghast, yet not surprised, when I was doing some research on Laura and her writings and I came across website after website proclaiming the horrors of such bad role models displayed for the youth of today in Laura’s books.
I was spurred to start researching this after the news the American Library Association voted unanimously to strip Wilder’s name from a major children’s literature award named after Laura herself, who was the first recipient of the award in 1954. I will not get into my opinion on this matter but the reason stating by the ALA for doing so is due to some terminologies used by Laura in her books based on the times and circumstances in regards to Native Americans as well as blacks.
This blog post is not concerning that decision of the ALA; rather it is what I found while researching that decision. I came across multiple blog post by those who saw the family role models as negative models to their children, to their families. based on Americas “new set of core values”.
As a child watching the show, knowing of the authorship of the books, I was never under any delusion that everything presented in either the books nor the show was to be taken as factual. It was no secret that both truth and fiction lived within the pages of Laura’s book, and as an adult reading her writings for the first time, knowing that, made what was in those pages no less impacting on my life.
As human beings, it is within all of us to model our lives after someone we admire, this can be done intentionally or unintentionally, but know that it will be done. These role models can be real or fictional. In today’s world many people, both young and old, idolize entertainers of some form; be it singers, actors/actresses or athletes. These are often unrealistic and often unhealthy role models for our society. We can easily see the effect that such esteem has had on our nation as a culture. Most Americans can tell you more about their favorite entertainer then they can about the Word of God and off times their own family members. Our society connects not only with people it will never know (yes I am aware Laura is dead and I will never know her) but it also connect with situation that most will never obtain and even if they did it would benefit few if any others then themselves, that is what is different when picking a role models such as the Ingalls family. Roles models of today seldom raise a bar to make ones self better nor to make better the world for others.
In her books Laura speaks of a family that looks out after each other. There is personal responsibility required from each other, sacrifice for the sake of another is often shown and the lesson that comes is that sacrifice is just that, it comes at a cost to personal gain. There is hard times that draws the family together rather than it turning against itself. There are moments of individual awaking yet at the same time remembering that you are part of a bigger picture and others still matter. There are lessons of self-discipline and the desire to be the best that one can be. There is dedication to a country that gave so many opportunities despite the flaws demonstrated by many who have run this country.
There is Biblical headship in the home and respect for each role. There is written about, what once was the norm in our great country and this is what is driving some people to dyspepsia. A traditional set of morals and values. That is what is under attack in America and has been under attack for a good many years now. The venom that has been displayed by some for this simple yet profound work is revealing of a people in a country that has turned their back on God. When a story of a young girl coming into womanhood who has a strong loving father to nurture and guide her, whose mother is trusting of her husband to provide for his family and who demonstrates to her daughters respect to their father is at the top of the hate list for many progressives, it tells of a country in dire distress.
Are there things wrong with the book? Well show me the “perfect” anything. There is nothing (not one) perfect except God. But honestly, when does a book encouraging family unity and faith deserve to be used as an example of what not to let your children read because of the portrayal of strong family oriented and faith driven characters in the work? Characters who desire to be good, to do good and to teach their children the same?
To be continued…..
Sadly the world calls evil good and good evil. I grew up reading and loving Laura’s books. They are fantastic. However, I was in town this week and inundated by all of the merchandise for a book series that I will never read nor allow my children to read. It is based on witchcraft. Sad.
Hi Cindy, Oh you are so right! There is few if any current writings that I have read or will read to my children. Here is the funny thing, as a writer, I am trying to break into the writing world…which is indeed an odd world! I have some first had experience with highly accredited groups for a certain genre of writing and I was saddened when I realized how dominating the “political correctness” in this industry is…thus it being a foundation to change the morals and values of traditional America to something many of us can’t even recognize. It has left me in a conundrum with which way to seek publishing. It is a sad state to be sure! Reader beware is my motto on book of today!
I knew I liked you and this post just confirms that even more! 🙂 I was and always have been a voracious reader and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books have long been favorites. I could not even venture to guess the number of times I have read the series and, like you, just finished reading all the books to my 6 and 7 year old boys. While they relate to and enjoy the earliest ones the most (especially “Farmer Boy”), each book holds stories they ask to hear repeatedly and refer to them often. I did watch the television series when I was young and remember my mother calling me in from playing outdoors so I could wash up in time for “Little House.” Nothing else would get me inside most of the time! While the show was really only loosely based on the books, I now appreciate Michael Landon’s efforts to make a program showing a faith and love-centered family addressing many problems encountered by folks of the (then) modern day.
Like you, I have researched Wilder’s life behind and beyond the novels and have been saddened when I read the criticism you speak of. There is a tendency for modern folks to judge those of the past through today’s standards. This is historically dishonest, in my opinion. While it is important to learn about the past so as not to repeat the mistakes made, to judge someone like Wilder so harshly so as to disregard any value to her work is foolish. In all my readings of her work, I have never felt that she advocated the views expressed (particularly by Ma) about Native Americans or even her own childish fear of Dr. Tan. She was simply recording elements of her life as she recalled them and, as she grew as a writer, in her own unique version of historical fiction. Rather then condemning people of the past for their views or action (though certainly there have been things that are inexcusable when viewed through the ultimate lens of God), I think we are much better served by trying to learn why people did as they did and the historical context in which those views came about. Even if the only reason some one read the Little House books (and, really, the main one which comes under fire is Little House on the Prairie) is to point out the prejudices therein, there is a valuable lesson there – one which makes her writing more worthy rather than less. (I have read that Wilder herself was aware of some of these criticisms in her lifetime. Some of that is addressed in her annotated autobiography “Pioneer Girl” which was released a few years ago and really illustrates her transition from straight-up historian to a more historical fiction writer.)
The real value of Wilder’s books, to me, is that I adored them as a child and I adore them still (and for different reasons) as an adult with children. They teach history in the way and of the kind I want to learn – not just dates of wars and names of generals – but what the life of ordinary people was like. To be able to put oneself in the shoes of people of the past has to be one of the best learning experiences I can think of and one very small reason we live in a more old-fashioned way than our modern counterparts (a topic you write about and show on your vlog so well.) Her stories show a depth of love of God and family that I don’t think I’ve encountered anywhere else in popular literature. While it may be hip nowadays to denigrate Wilder and her work, I will always value these stories for their positive influence in my life and the lives of my children. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and allowing me to comment.
PS – Have you read “Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings” or any other sources of her journal articles she wrote before the Little House series? I love her commentary of farm life and the wisdom and values therein. If not, I fell very confident you would love them, too. Peace!
Hi Dawn! It is so good to hear from you. I was reading your comment and thought to myself “this should be a blog post!” Would you consider doing a guest post in regards to Laura, her works and your thoughts on them and the impact that they have had on your life? If you are willing I would love to post it!
I currently am reading Pioneer Girl The Annotated Autobiography. I love Pamela Smith Hill and her works and am totally impressed this book and all that is in it to accompany Laura’s original manuscript. The accompanied explanations,descriptions and research of events and people Laura wrote about in this manuscript enrich it so much! It helps to clarify so many questions and speculations that have been presented in the past several years. Pamela also has a series online (which you may already know) and much of it is a repeat of what is in Pioneer Girl but there is also a lot of other interesting information she presents. For me, since I need to hear things about 15 times before I remember it, I am okay with the repeats LOL.
I have not read Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered WritingsLaura Ingalls Wilder though it sounds very interested and I will be looking into it! I do have “Farm Journalist : Writings from the Ozarks” this contains a collections of Laura’s writings for the Missouri Ruralist between 1911 and 1924. I have recently ordered “West From Home” her letters to Almanzo while she was visiting Rose in SF. I am trying to find a compilations of either Rose’s letters to her mother and/or diary entries as Rose was an avid journal keeper, I am looking for these in book form. Many of letters and journals are available at the Herbert Hoover library and a few online but I prefer to have them in hand and want more of a complete selection then what I found online. At this point I have not found any so if you know of a book of such and could let me know I would appreciate it! I do find if interested that Laura was not much of a journal keeper herself outside of her “traveling journals”.
I know you are buys but if you like the idea of doing a guest post just let me know and we can pick up via email. God bless!
Thank you, Lea! I am honored you think my comment worthy of a guest post. I will give that some serious consideration. I have never thought I had much original to say but I am finding that views like you and I (and these other wonderful commenters) express are becoming “original” or, at least not he norm. All that means that maybe it is worth saying so others with similar thoughts do not feel that they are the only ones.
The book you have with her writings from the Missouri Ruralist are probably repeated in the book I mentioned but their are other articles in there, as well. I find them so comforting. She was clearly a very sensible person who was well-liked in her community and always willing to help. If we could all say that!
I have mixed feelings when I read Rose’s writings or communications between Laura and her daughter. They clearly had a challenging relationship and I sometimes like to just think they lived happily-ever-after. But, Rose, like her mother, lived through times of unbelievable social and technological change that there is worthwhile information there. “West From Home” is really interesting as far as Laura’s impressions of the fair in SF and her travels to and from home. Reading works by her throughout her life is most interesting when you consider her childhood and how that framed her point of view from then on. You can really see how lessons learned young are lessons for a lifetime as she repeats values and ideas expressed by her family with the unique perspective she brought to the changing times as a life-long learner. Anyway, thanks again for such a thought-provoking post. I will give your offer serious consideration. Peace and Blessings!
Lea, I agree. Times have changed and so has the make-up of our great country. It seems it is a self-centered, egotistical conglomeration of evil doers out to destroy the family and God. We pray that guidance and strength be bestowed upon us to stand strong and fight this evil.
Changing history is a fools earned…..you can change the words, destroy the words, but the events will remain….good, bad or otherwise. I will not judge the writer for offenses being brought against her and her writing. Times were different and people were being presented with unfamiliar faces. Yes, there were offensive deeds, however, I feel it was more the unknown and the preservation of the known that created some, if not all, of those offisive situations. The unknown is scary to us humans and we tend to defend the familiar and known. I am not sure many of the people in Ingalls time period were haters, just scared of what was never known to them before. Hate is hate and there is little room for same in a Christian nation, however, I do not see the hate in her writings.
Good writing!
J
Well said J. Thank you for commenting!
Laura was a women of her times – somethings were just not thought through back then. She was however a strong advocate for the practical version of women’s rights as was Rose. She refused to say she would obey Manly and relished the opportunity to take off her corset and work hard.
I read the whole series as a teenage boy (!) and still think fondly of them all.
I loved your post and was also totally taken aback when I heard about Laura’s name being stripped from her own award. It’s hard raising children in this era but it is encouraging to come across people like you who are striving to teach their children good values. Thank you for the blog and the youtube videos, keep up the good work.
Hi Sarah and thank you for your comment and words of encouragement. We do live in a world of unbelievable confusion! By God’s grace, we as a people will bring common sense back into light for future generations!