7. The Problem of Laura
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Wilder
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What is our responsibility to the things we loved the most? One answer is to be brutally honest about who and what we love. That’s what we’re doing in this episode. We’re going to take a long, hard look at the worst parts of Laura: the racism, the violence, and xenophobia present in the Little House series. There’s more than you might think. Even Glynnis, a person who thought she knew Laura all the way through, was surprised and sometimes shocked. We also talk about the harm the books have caused and investigate whether the Little House books should still have a place in our classrooms or even on our shelves.
Go deeper:
On Native American History
Mni Sota Makoce: Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White
Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan
More on government operated boarding schools for Native children
On Native representation and racism in the Little House books
Little squatters on the Osage Diminished Reserve by Frances W. Kaye
Lizzie Skurnick on Little House’s “Myth of White Self-Sufficiency”
On Black prairie narratives
More on Doctor George A. Tann
Era Bell Thompson: A North Dakota Daughter
Alternate children’s book recommendations:
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck
More recommendations from Dr. Debbie Reese
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The episode 7. The Problem of Laura from the podcast Wilder has a duration of
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BONUS: "Oh, that Nellie Oleson!" with Alison Anrgrim
Surprise! We’re back to share our extended interview with Alison Arngrim, aka everyone’s favorite mean girl: Nellie Oleson. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to keeping the Little House legacy alive, from her marathon re-read of the books on Facebook Live during the pandemic, to attending events at the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes and fan conventions across the country, to using her celebrity for meaningful activism. Beyond all that, she’s simply a delight and we hope you enjoy the interview!
Read Alison Arngrim’s memoir, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch
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10. “It could never be a long time ago.”
As we talked about in our very first episode, the last line of Big Woods reads, “Now is now, it can never be a long time ago.” That line might be the most accurate description there is of the Little House series. Little House on the Prairie might be about another time, but Laura’s stories are very much alive in our time. We can't seem to let her go. But of course, some of the ways in which Laura is relevant are painful to consider. The story she tells is narrow, contributing to a long held mythology of the American West that prioritizes white narratives. For a final look at Laura’s impact, Glynnis and Wilder producer Emily drive further west, beyond Laura’s homesteads, to understand what we’re missing when we hold on too tightly to one narrative. Could it be time to let Laura go?
Go deeper:
More on Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
More on the Gordon Stockade
More on the Battle of the Little Bighorn
More on Buffalo Calf Road Woman
More on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Follow us for behind the scenes content!
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram
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BONUS: Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires
In all of our research for this show, one of the scholars who has most influenced our thinking on Laura and her work is Caroline Fraser, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura obsessives know that Prairie Fires is the motherload when it comes to understanding Laura’s life. It provides a detailed historical account of her childhood and takes a holistic look at the fraught personal and working relationship that Laura had with her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. As we put together our final episode, we’ve been revisiting Caroline’s book and the amazing interview we did with her. Today, we wanted to share the extended interview with you, as a deeper dive into Laura’s life, and to help set the scene before Glynnis comes to some big conclusions in our series finale.
Go deeper:
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires
Follow us for behind the scenes content!
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram
We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to [email protected]. You might be featured in our final episode ;)
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BONUS: A chat with Melissa Gilbert
We’re nearing the end of our series, but before we go we have a surprise for you. Is it tin cups and peppermint sticks? A pig’s bladder? No! It’s our extended interview with the one and only Melissa Gilbert! No one knows what it’s like to shoulder the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder quite like Melissa. 50 years ago, she was cast as Laura Ingalls on the Little House TV show at just 9 years old, which means Melissa has spent close to a lifetime with Laura and all of her complications. She talked to us about that experience, as well as what it was like working on the TV show, finding agency as a young actor, her business Modern Prairie, her activism, and even her thoughts on Rose. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did!
Go deeper:
Melissa Gilbert’s memoirs Prairie Tale and Back to the Prairie
Modern Prairie
Follow us for behind the scenes content!
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram
We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to [email protected]. You might be featured in our final episode ;)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9. The Business of Laura
Laura Ingalls Wilder probably couldn’t have imagined the multi-million dollar media empire that would emerge from her books. From the television show to prairie chic dresses to dolls to tin cups bearing her name, Laura is a brand, a business and, dare we say it, an influencer. Her stories have spawned industries large and small, both directly and indirectly for nearly a century. How exactly did the simple prairie life get sold to millions around the world?
Go deeper:
Stay at the Prairie House Manor in De Smet, SD
The Queen’s Treasures
Melissa Gilbert’s Modern Prairie
Stephanie McNeal on the Nap Dress
Sara Petersen’s Momfluenced
Follow us for behind the scenes content!
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram
We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to [email protected]. You might be featured in our final episode ;)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.