So interesting, Jenna. The museum seems like it places cultural values and narratives front and center. A place I’d love to visit.
I never read the Little House books as a child, have not read them as an adult, and never watched a single episode of the series. Why? No idea, other than a sense that they evaded the truth. It was far more interesting to visit my father’s family homestead in South Dakota and get the real story. The lived experience of the family was present in every sense:
the hardships and joys were evident.
But still. Revisionist removals of books, rather than contextualizing them? As the kids say, I can’t even.
I was absolutely a super fan as a kid; read the books multiple times, watched the show every morning during the summer, played Little House with my friends. I got a set of the books with color illustrations many years ago and read them again, and reading them as an adult was a totally different experience!
Yes, they're extremely racist, but they're also very political. The tone and the politics were heavily influenced by her daughter, Rose (I've gone down long rabbit holes reading about context for the books!). I've been reading them with my oldest and we've been stopping to discuss a lot of the racism and what was happening, which is something she's been really open to discussing and learning about.
It sounds like the book about Ma picked up that politics of it too, with her not feeling anything. The books lean really heavily into the Protestant work ethic and not expressing feelings or complaining about hardships. It's just been very interesting to read as an adult and be horrified by so much in those books that I loved as a kid.
What an amazing and authentic way to talk about history/racism/etc with your kid. I loved the books when I was little too, and it's amazing how many of the details came back to me when I read CAROLINE, despise the decades its been since reading them.
Have you read CAROLINE, the book about Ma? I'd love to hear your thoughts, with all the research you've done.
I'm a pretty stoic/work ethic person too (I have a sign in my classroom that read "you are amazing. NOW GET BACK TO WORK") but Ma is on a whole different level.
That's an interesting point about Ma's flatness as part of the work ethic. Some of my relatives were farmers during the Depression and I definitely notice their stoicism
I read this a few years ago - was very excited as I LOVED the books and show when I was a kid. I was also raised in Nebraska, so felt a kinship to midwest writing. I learned a lot from this book (Ma was indeed boring; she was a much better character in the show :) and yes, I had the same cringe feelings. Good review and critique here. Thanks, Jenna.
I loved those books as a child. Super interesting (in a weird and surprised way) to hear about this other book - written from Ma’s point of view, and idolizing Pa. Wow.
I had completely forgotten that the book took place in Kansas! I do look out at Kansas and think of the Plaines. But I had forgotten I learned about the Plaines from that book series!
I took my kids to the Keeper of the Plaines in April when they were visiting me. (I moved here from Virginia 2 years ago; my kids still live there.)
I would like to see the Keeper of the Plaines lit up at night. I haven’t made that a priority yet. Some day !!
So interesting, Jenna. The museum seems like it places cultural values and narratives front and center. A place I’d love to visit.
I never read the Little House books as a child, have not read them as an adult, and never watched a single episode of the series. Why? No idea, other than a sense that they evaded the truth. It was far more interesting to visit my father’s family homestead in South Dakota and get the real story. The lived experience of the family was present in every sense:
the hardships and joys were evident.
But still. Revisionist removals of books, rather than contextualizing them? As the kids say, I can’t even.
I almost included pictures of my dad at his family farm also! His stories are much more "real."
I was absolutely a super fan as a kid; read the books multiple times, watched the show every morning during the summer, played Little House with my friends. I got a set of the books with color illustrations many years ago and read them again, and reading them as an adult was a totally different experience!
Yes, they're extremely racist, but they're also very political. The tone and the politics were heavily influenced by her daughter, Rose (I've gone down long rabbit holes reading about context for the books!). I've been reading them with my oldest and we've been stopping to discuss a lot of the racism and what was happening, which is something she's been really open to discussing and learning about.
It sounds like the book about Ma picked up that politics of it too, with her not feeling anything. The books lean really heavily into the Protestant work ethic and not expressing feelings or complaining about hardships. It's just been very interesting to read as an adult and be horrified by so much in those books that I loved as a kid.
What an amazing and authentic way to talk about history/racism/etc with your kid. I loved the books when I was little too, and it's amazing how many of the details came back to me when I read CAROLINE, despise the decades its been since reading them.
Have you read CAROLINE, the book about Ma? I'd love to hear your thoughts, with all the research you've done.
I'm a pretty stoic/work ethic person too (I have a sign in my classroom that read "you are amazing. NOW GET BACK TO WORK") but Ma is on a whole different level.
That's an interesting point about Ma's flatness as part of the work ethic. Some of my relatives were farmers during the Depression and I definitely notice their stoicism
I read this a few years ago - was very excited as I LOVED the books and show when I was a kid. I was also raised in Nebraska, so felt a kinship to midwest writing. I learned a lot from this book (Ma was indeed boring; she was a much better character in the show :) and yes, I had the same cringe feelings. Good review and critique here. Thanks, Jenna.
I’m in the Wichita area. :)
I loved those books as a child. Super interesting (in a weird and surprised way) to hear about this other book - written from Ma’s point of view, and idolizing Pa. Wow.
I had completely forgotten that the book took place in Kansas! I do look out at Kansas and think of the Plaines. But I had forgotten I learned about the Plaines from that book series!
I took my kids to the Keeper of the Plaines in April when they were visiting me. (I moved here from Virginia 2 years ago; my kids still live there.)
I would like to see the Keeper of the Plaines lit up at night. I haven’t made that a priority yet. Some day !!