Book Review: Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture by Anita Clare Fellman

I began reading Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture in November 2012. It's a book I purchased from Amazon, and as with all things Laura Ingalls Wilder, I had to give it a shot.

While admittedly, I didn't care much for the earlier chapters, overall it was a satisfying read. Fellman discusses everything from a possible political agenda in the books, to the Ingalls family being racist, to how Wilder's memories created a different than reality version of frontier life, to current events during the writing of the books, to the continued impact Wilder has on modern society, and beyond.

Fellman didn't leave many stones unturned. The book is structured so the beginning two chapters are really about Rose and Laura and their collaboration. By chapter 3, Fellman is on to the discussion of how Wilder viewed her stories and how her memories might have been different than reality. The final four chapters show how the books are used in the classroom and at home, and then move into "The Little House Books in Public" and "The Little House in American Politics." Chapter 6 shows how Wilder has become a part of our heritage and the last chapter talks about Lane' views, the New Deal, Ronald Reagan, libertarians, and how "mainstream" values are associated with the Little House books.

I didn't agree with some of what Fellman had to say, but overall she provides an even-handed glimpse into Wilder's persistent impact on American culture, which is what she set out to do. I would have liked some historical photographs, but other than that I was satisfied. I'm glad to add this one to my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection.


Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: University of Missouri; 1st edition (May 21, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0826218032
ISBN-13: 978-0826218032

I purchased this book from Amazon. This review/discussion contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

For a more in-depth discussion on this book, you can visit:

Part One - http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2012/11/little-house-long-shadow-book-discussion.html

Part Two - http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2012/11/little-house-long-shadow-book.html

Part Three - http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2012/11/little-house-long-shadow-book_10.html

Part Four - http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2012/11/little-house-long-shadow-book_20.html

Part Five – http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2012/12/little-house-long-shadow-book.html

Final Discussion – http://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2014/01/little-house-long-shadow-book.html

This is the fourth book I've read for the following challenges:

Musing Mondays - January 13th

Musing Mondays is changing it up, for this week!

Question: Are “best” and “favorite” the same thing? If someone asked you “What’s the best book you ever read?” would the answer be the same as for “What’s your favorite?” {source}


My Musing: I say that "best" and "favorite" can be, but aren't always, the same thing. I have lots of favorite books--I try to share them at the end of each year (you can see my 2013 list here). But there are very few I would say are the "best." The Stand by Stephen King comes to mind in the "best" category.

This is the original post I scheduled to run for today based upon past Musing Mondays:

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musing:

You know what I really love to do--and I don't get a chance to do it very often--is dissect titles and really discuss them. I first started blogging because I wanted to get back into a regular reading schedule, but there was a reason behind that: I had some great books waiting to be read and there was a purpose to reading them.

I mentioned last week that the first post here was part one of five discussing The Ghost in the Little House by William Holtz. This book is a biography of Laura and Almanzo Wilder's only child who survived to adulthood, Rose Wilder Lane. The author's contention is that Lane should be listed as a co-author for Wilder's beloved Little House books. As a fan of the books, I wasn't sure how I would feel about The Ghost in the Little House, but I knew I didn't want to just read it and cross it off my "TBR list."

The book is close to 450 pages long, and I wanted to see if by the end of it, I felt the same way the author did about Lane's contributions to her mother's now classic books. I can't say that I did agree, but The Ghost in the Little House led me to read books by Lane to either support or discredit Holtz's theory--at least in my mind.

I discussed at length, Lane's Free Land and Let the Hurricane Roar. I didn't end up going further on with this search, but when I decided to start reading some Laura Ingalls Wilder titles I had on my bookshelf for a while, I ended up writing this multi-part discussion on Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture by Anita Clair Fellman, which started with this post. I've read the first five chapters of the book, but needed to break away until now. I should be finished with this book soon.

Books that make me think are perfect to dive into and discuss at length. My hope is always that others will join in the discussion. Having read nonfiction exclusively for many years before I began blogging, I got into the habit of considering my thoughts and feelings on certain topics or bodies of work. That's probably why I enjoy reviewing books so much.

Have you ever read a book with a definitive purpose in mind? Do you enjoy discussing books at length?