Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Little House on the Prairie, book three in a series, is Laura Ingalls Wilder's account of her family's life on a prairie south of Independence, Kansas, where they lived for two years before moving [back] to Wisconsin. The book starts leaving their former residence and heading west on a covered wagon with Ma and Pa, big sister Mary, little sister Carrie, their dog Jack, and two horses. Once they ford a dangerous creek and arrive on the plains, they settle on open land (in Indian territory) and build a home and stable, eeking out a difficult (if content and joyous) existence full of close calls and adventure until they had to relocate due to government decisions on where Indians and settlers could[n't] stay. The book ends where it started, with them taking what they can in their covered wagon and heading out. 

I didn't realize this was book three in the series. And that it took place well before the family's Walnut Grove years portrayed in the television series of the same name. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this read. I was struck by 1) how little they had, 2) how content they were, 3) how hard they worked, 4) how industrious they were, 5) how simple life was, and 6) how resilient they remained in their transient existence. Pouring two years of hard work into a homestead, only to pack up and move and start all over with nothing to show for it, must have been hard. But per Pa, "we're taking more out of Indian Territory than we took in," meaning that their experiences together [and, presumably, the grace they experienced] more than accounted for the material loss. A good lesson for us all.

I'll add: there is a 'weird' mix of self-reliance and need for neighbors on display here. On the one hand, the family had incredible skill in many things, and could get by quite well off the land and their skills. On the other hand, they relied on neighbors (miles distant) for everything from news to a helping hand to supplies to protection. We need each other, but it seems to me that the pioneering way of life was an experiment in how to be as independent as possible. Similarly, their understanding of the Gospel (from what little I could glean in the story) was a mixture of helping others wherever possible, and needing occasional help, too, but also trying to be as self-reliant as possible and not wanting to owe anyone anything. Overall, it was an educational and enjoyable look into life on the plains for settlers in the midwest only 150 years ago. How we have changed since.

Rating: A