A Prairie Girl’s Faith provides the first extended, in depth discussion of the Christian faith of one of America’s most beloved pioneer women–Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although the faith of the Ingalls’ family pervades books in the Little House series, the more specific details of Laura’s faith have never been fully explored. It took extraordinary pluck for anyone to survive the harshness of frontier life–from the heartbreak of sudden crop losses to murderous storms to unrelenting loneliness. This book reveals how in surviving, the brave Laura drew not just on her character, but found encouragement, strength, and hope in her relationship with God.
****************************************************
A Prairie Girl's Faith by Stephen W. Hines is a beautiful look into the legacy of faith the Ingalls family instilled not only into their family, but their community. Ever since I was a child and my mom read aloud "Little House in the Big Woods" I have been a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. When I saw this book I was fascinated and eager to learn more about this amazing lady's faith.
Mr. Hines did a great job of collecting what information he could on the topic of Mrs. Wilder's faith, but honestly there was not quite as much in depth information as I had expected. At the beginning of chapter seven Mr. Hines writes: "The reality is that Laura Ingalls Wilder was not a person who thought it necessary or appropriate to reveal her private thoughts on topics or people to the outside world. She certainly extended this attitude to her spirituality, which she definitely considered one of her most private of matters." With that said there truly wasn't as much information about Laura Ingalls Wilder's beliefs as I thought there would be. However this book was interesting and informative in many ways that I had not expected.
One chapter explores the songs mentioned in the "Little House" series and how those songs may have impacted the pioneers of that era. I was interested to learn favorite hymns of different members of the Ingalls family. In an earlier chapter the author recounts how the Ingalls family lived a great distance from town and that Sundays were spent in quiet worship at home. At that time Caroline Ingalls instructed her daughters in Scripture memorization. Throughout her life Laura always read her Bible and it was not far from her at the time of her death.
Another interesting topic covered in this books was the relationship and collaborative efforts of Laura and her daughter Rose. I had no idea that Rose had such an impact on her mother's writing career. The author also compared and contrasted the two women who shared so much in common, but were often extremely different in beliefs.
A chapter entitled "The Church Potluck" discussed the growth of the church the Ingalls were involved in starting and the tradition of potluck dinners. This chapter is filled with recipes from an old community cookbook. The recipes were submitted by notable "Little House" characters including Caroline Ingalls.
I appreciated the peek into Laura Ingalls Wilder's thoughts that her articles for "The Missouri Ruralist" provided. Excerpts from many of her articles are sprinkled throughout this book giving us a unique glimpse of her perspective on many relevant topics of her day.
Overall A Prairie Girl's Faith was not exactly what I had expected, but a very enjoyable and informative book. The author is very knowledgeable and presents the information in a conversational manner which makes it an easy, fun read. For those who have enjoyed the "Little House" series and are interested in learning a little bit more about the woman behind the series I would definitely recommend A Prairie Girl's Faith.
*I was given a copy of A Prairie Girl's Faith by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
I've had an interest in Laura Ingalls Wilder since I was an elementary student in the seventies. My fourth/fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Higgs, read Little House on the Prairie to us and thus began my interest. In recent years, upon reading Little House in the Big Woods again (I've read them all more than once.), I realized my true interest was in Ma and her ability to make do despite being married to a difficult rambling man!
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you as you enjoy Little House with your little girl.
Hugs,
Laura Lane
Harvest Lane Cottage
COMO ME GUSTA LA SERIE, AQUI EN MI PAIS, ARGENTINA, TODAVIA LA SIGUEN TELEVISANDO. SIENTO ADMIRACION POR MAMA INGALLS, A VECES QUISIERA SER COMO ELLA, TAN PACIENTE, TAN FUERTE, TAN AMOROSA, SIEMPRE DISPUESTA A SEGUIR ADELANTE, A PESAR DE LAS LUCHAS Y PRUEBAS QUE TENIA. SI BIEN ES CIERTO QUE LA SERIE NO REFLEJA LA REALIDAD DE LOS AUTENTICOS INGALLS, PORQUE FUERON MODIFICADAS ALGUNAS HISTORIAS PARA LA TELEVISION, ESA MA INGALLS DE FICCION, INSPIRA MAS QUE LA VERDADERA. LA FAMILIA INGALLS DE LA FICCION, INSPIRA A MUCHAS FAMILIAS, ES DIGNA DE IMITAR, HAY TANTOS VALORES HONESTOS, TANTAS FE EN EL SEÑOR, QUE SI LA GENTE IMITARA EN ALGO A LA FAMILIA INGALLS, VIVIRIAMOS EN UNA SOCIEDAD DIFERENTE, NO EN LA DECADENCIA QUE SE VIVE EN LA ACTUALIDAD. ESPERO QUE ENTIENDE EL CASTELLANO Y ME PUEDA CONTESTAR. BLESSINGS.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ana! We also enjoy watching the television series. The story line does not always follow the book series, but the same theme of family and love are a beautiful example in both. If you have not read the "Little House" books I would recommend that you do, I think you would enjoy them.
DeleteMay you have a blessed day!
-Sarah
Your reviews are honest and informative. I appreciate your straightforward look at things. Reading this one reminded me of the Missouri Ruralist and I subscribed. Eager to see if it is the paper of my youth with articles of the caliber of such as LIW.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks interesting. Thank you for sharing it. I met Stephen W. Hines in Nashville in the 1990s. He graciously came to my house and gave a presentation on Laura for a homeschool group meeting. We listened to a recording of Laura speaking for part of the meeting.
ReplyDelete