[RN3]⋙ Download Prairie Fires The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline Fraser Books

Prairie Fires The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline Fraser Books

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Prairie Fires The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline Fraser Books

Laura Ingalls Wilder's books tell a story that is both true and misleading, the product of a strange and tortured collaboration between Laura and her daughter Rose. Told in full, it would have been a tale full of misery, mistakes and tragedy, relieved by stoic endurance and loyalty. It wouldn't have been published. Wilder struggled to turn her family's pioneer story into the inspiring, heart-warming, heroic tale that fills the Little House books. Caroline Fraser adds context beyond the much-discussed question of the true authorship of the books, placing the pioneer epic in the larger frame of conflicts between settlers and Indians, and North and South, then exploring the later role of the pioneer story in the politics and myth-making of the nation and the world. The reaction against Wilder's books that has led to her name being taken off at least one school named in her honor shocks the books' fans, but Fraser shows how Rose used the stories for her own political purposes, and the US promoted them as propaganda after World War II. Wilder herself slanted the books to bolster the image of the settlers as an ideal model for America. And yet, Fraser's affection for the books and their author shows through her admission of their myopic worldview, omissions, and outright fabrications. Her sympathies clearly lie with Laura rather than with Rose, and she provides evidence against later claims that Rose was the true author of the books.

The surprises of the book for me are in the details of Rose's life and politics and how she leveraged Laura's books to further her Libertarian views, even beyond her death.

My own grandmother was born in a log cabin in Wisconsin, and she married my grandfather, whose family homesteaded not far from Walnut Grove. Another grandfather was born in a sod house in Nebraska. My mother grew up in circumstances as difficult as much that Wilder described. When Wilder presents the pioneer story while minimizing or totally ignoring the plight of the displaced and murdered Native Americans, she is telling the tale as my family would have told it. Fraser expands the view to encompass what we must admit if we are honest: our success and wealth were built on the suffering of real people. These sections of Fraser's book aren't comfortable to read, but they are necessary to put the controversy about Wilder's books in context.

Fraser doesn't hide her own political leanings, as she weaves her rejection of Ayn Rand's philosophy into the discussion of Rose's friendship with Rand and Rose's editing of Laura's later books to introduce Randian themes. I found that enlightening and interesting. Some people won't agree.

Read this book if you are a fan of Wilder's books. If you know Wilder only from the TV series, read Wilder's books first. (I thoroughly enjoyed Fraser's take-down of the TV series, which I never saw but did read about.)

I enjoyed Prairie Fire. It didn't make me dislike Wilder's books, or even have a lower opinion of Laura - - though it certainly didn't make me like Rose. I'm giving it four rather than five stars because of a little discomfort with how openly the author's biases, most of which I actually share, are expressed.


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Prairie Fires The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline Fraser Books Reviews

I loved the book. Incredibly chock full of information and analysis. Ms. Fraser spends three quarters of the book detailing the adult lives of Laura and Rose. I keep coming back to the book jacket and title. I think the publisher did the author no favor with either. Prairie Fires -- the "prairie" part of the work is very small overall -- but I guess they felt they had to tie it to the book that LIW is most famous for. And "the dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder"? No. Just no. This is the real life, not the dreams. I wanted to reach out and smack Roger McBride for taking the royalties that rightfully should belong to the Mansfield Library as Laura wanted.
I enjoyed the history of the Ingalls / Wilder family. I did, however, find the seemingly endless lectures on the political views and activity of Rose very boring.
Full disclosure I am a Laura Ingalls Wilder superfan. I was skeptical of Caroline Fraser’s book bc of the (slightly cheesy) title and my belief that I’d mined every vein there had to be found re my favorite writer. Nope. This book is amazing. It gives TMZ-level inside skinny on all things Laura and Rose (which evokes the fascination and discomfort as a reader that you’d expect) and gives comprehensive historic context from beginning to end. I found the author’s treatment of the “controversial” aspects of LIW to be far more balanced than in, for example, the Wendy McClure book The Wilder Life. Ms. Fraser might not agree with the choices made or opinions expressed by Charles Ingalls, or Laura, or certainly Rose Wilder Lane, but her analysis is generally limited to presenting the facts vs inserting her own thoughts. She lets the reader decide. I do wish that Ms. Fraser had acknowledged the white elephant in the room, i.e., that RWL had bipolar disorder, which clearly influenced her many bad decisions. To that end, I was left at the conclusion of the book furious why did no one challenge RWL’s will? How was Roger Lea MacBride allowed to weasel his way into controlling the ($100M; what would Pa think?!) LIW estate? The fact that no trust was ever established and that Laura thought her daughter would do the right thing with her legacy—but did not, likely because she lacked the mental capacity to make good decisions, and MacBride capitalized on this—and no one ever challenged it!)—is the greatest tragedy of all. I’d read that book. Till then, this was fabulous.
I have no argument with Fraser's research skills and that is why I gave her two stars rather than one. However, I find huge fault with the very premise of her research. How convenient for her to assail the Ingalls' family for their lack of "politically correct" sensibilities when it was our greatest American President, Abraham Lincoln who urged American settlers to go West with the Homestead Act. This book inspired the American Library Association to strip the name "Laura Ingalls Wilder" from its award, renaming it the Children's Literature Legacy Award. And why? Because of the "inconsistency between Wilder’s legacy and its core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness through an award that bears Wilder’s name." It is a little incongruous that any body would apply 21st century values to those of the 19th century, but worse than that, Laura clearly was the most inclusive of individuals who discussed her sadness over the lot of the American Indians. Whom next does Fraser wish to destroy? Would anyone like to do a deep dive on her? I hope so!
Laura Ingalls Wilder's books tell a story that is both true and misleading, the product of a strange and tortured collaboration between Laura and her daughter Rose. Told in full, it would have been a tale full of misery, mistakes and tragedy, relieved by stoic endurance and loyalty. It wouldn't have been published. Wilder struggled to turn her family's pioneer story into the inspiring, heart-warming, heroic tale that fills the Little House books. Caroline Fraser adds context beyond the much-discussed question of the true authorship of the books, placing the pioneer epic in the larger frame of conflicts between settlers and Indians, and North and South, then exploring the later role of the pioneer story in the politics and myth-making of the nation and the world. The reaction against Wilder's books that has led to her name being taken off at least one school named in her honor shocks the books' fans, but Fraser shows how Rose used the stories for her own political purposes, and the US promoted them as propaganda after World War II. Wilder herself slanted the books to bolster the image of the settlers as an ideal model for America. And yet, Fraser's affection for the books and their author shows through her admission of their myopic worldview, omissions, and outright fabrications. Her sympathies clearly lie with Laura rather than with Rose, and she provides evidence against later claims that Rose was the true author of the books.

The surprises of the book for me are in the details of Rose's life and politics and how she leveraged Laura's books to further her Libertarian views, even beyond her death.

My own grandmother was born in a log cabin in Wisconsin, and she married my grandfather, whose family homesteaded not far from Walnut Grove. Another grandfather was born in a sod house in Nebraska. My mother grew up in circumstances as difficult as much that Wilder described. When Wilder presents the pioneer story while minimizing or totally ignoring the plight of the displaced and murdered Native Americans, she is telling the tale as my family would have told it. Fraser expands the view to encompass what we must admit if we are honest our success and wealth were built on the suffering of real people. These sections of Fraser's book aren't comfortable to read, but they are necessary to put the controversy about Wilder's books in context.

Fraser doesn't hide her own political leanings, as she weaves her rejection of Ayn Rand's philosophy into the discussion of Rose's friendship with Rand and Rose's editing of Laura's later books to introduce Randian themes. I found that enlightening and interesting. Some people won't agree.

Read this book if you are a fan of Wilder's books. If you know Wilder only from the TV series, read Wilder's books first. (I thoroughly enjoyed Fraser's take-down of the TV series, which I never saw but did read about.)

I enjoyed Prairie Fire. It didn't make me dislike Wilder's books, or even have a lower opinion of Laura - - though it certainly didn't make me like Rose. I'm giving it four rather than five stars because of a little discomfort with how openly the author's biases, most of which I actually share, are expressed.