Prairie Fires

The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder

By: Caroline Fraser

Narrated by: Christina Moore

The first comprehensive historical biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the beloved author of the Little House on the Prairie book series

Millions of fans of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls - the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true story of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser - the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series - masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder's biography, setting the record straight regarding charges of ghostwriting that have swirled around the books and uncovering the grown-up story behind the most influential childhood epic of pioneer life.

Set against nearly a century of epochal change, from the Homestead Act and the Indian Wars to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Wilder's dramatic life provides a unique perspective on American history and our national mythology of self-reliance. Offering fresh insight and new discoveries about Wilder's life and times, Prairie Fires is the definitive book about Wilder and her world.

Caroline Fraser is the editor of the Library of America edition of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and the author of Rewilding the World and God's Perfect Child. Her writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. She lives in New Mexico.

©2017 Caroline Fraser (P)2017 Recorded Books

Wonderful

Absolutely wonderful! As a little house fan since 3rd grade I enjoyed this book so much and I learned a lot not only about Laura and her family but history as well.

Riveting and Enlightening

I have always hungered for information about my favorite books growing up. Laura Ingalls Wilder has been my hero most of my life, and here I found a deeply in-depth look at her life, for better or worse. Fascinating historical content, presented in a manner to hold the listener captivated, and asking, "Then what happened?!?"

Outstanding work. Excellent narrator.

Caroline Fraser has separated truth and fiction. She honors Laura Ingalls Wilder and her legacy. This is a must read and listen.

Remarkable

If you’re looking for a feel-good Laura Ingalls Wilder fest, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you want a rich, complicated picture of an important American writer, the times that shaped her, and the times she shaped, this is the book for you. I see why it won all the major awards. This is one of the most original biographies I’ve read in a long time. And it does what the best biographies do. I see works I’ve known and loved since childhood in new and surprising ways. I can’t wait to go back to them. The narrator is perfect.

Great lesson in history.

Always a fan of “Little House“ I found this
historical piece both entertaining and informative. As a farmer’s daughter I admire the passion of the “lovers of the land”.

more than a biography

more than a bi9graphy this is a great study of American myth building of the 20th century

A real look and the building of middle America

This is a great look at the way the middle America was built from the 1800s through today. Highs and lows this is real life.

outstanding

An amazing and moving personal and social history, dispelling myths while celebrating an authentic American life - both its flaws and it's courage.

Interesting history

Interesting for anyone who loves the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book puts those ( mostly) sweet stories into the larger historical context what was happening in the US. This juxtaposition is the most interesting aspect of the book. If you've read any of the other myriad of books about LIW, there is nothing new here. I thought there was too much time spent on Rose Wilder Lane, Laura's daughter; RWL was a prolific writer and there seems to be plenty of her writing left for posterity. Unfortunately, she doesn't come stress as a sympathetic person, and the sections about her are dull. How much did she "contribute" to her mother's books ? I think each reader will form their own opinion.
Christina Moore is a good narrator for this, straightforward with appropriate inflection.

Writer’s politics get in the way of a great story

It was a great story, very well researched. The only issue was the writer injecting their own political views throughout the book.