An uncomfortable moment at an otherwise terrific event

Today I went with my girl to the Texas Book Festival.

Since it was a literary event, of course I wore a shirt promoting one of my favorite authors.

No better place than a book festival, where readers, writers and publishers are milling about, to let it be known that I am a researcher of one of America’s most endearing and enduring writers, right?

We went specifically to hear Sherman Alexie, one of my girl’s favorite authors. I have only recently been introduced to his work, through my girl, although he has been a popular, award-winning author for decades. As a Native American, he writes from that perspective. As she read his books, my girl and I, and others, would have some good conversations about culture, prejudice, and similar topics.

But somehow, I just wasn’t thinking about that when I chose my apparel. Until…

Mr. Alexie began to talk about one of his banned books.

I am strongly against censorship, and believe in the right of any/everyone to express their views.

However, as I realized I was wearing a shirt featuring an author banned for insensitivity to Native Americans to a reading by a Native American, I admit that I wished I had thought that one through a little more.

Of course it felt like Mr. Alexie looked at my shirt every time he mentioned anything related to prejudice. I know that’s not true, but it was uncomfortable anyway.

And don’t take that to mean I’m embarrassed by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a product of her times, and it would not have been accurate for her to portray relations between whites and Indians as all hunky-dory. I just wish I had been a little more sensitive to the situation.

Other than that, I had a great time. I really enjoyed hearing Mr. Alexie, much more than I thought I would. I will be reading more of his works.

 

I just had to share this: Where's Papa going with that ax?


The people who think children's books can't be fine literature aren't reading the right children's books!

A Wilder Rose book review and thoughts

A Wilder Rose, by Susan Wittig Albert, is a fictionalized account of the life of Rose Wilder Lane. Rose was the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House series of books. Albert draws from the correspondence between the two women, as well as the original manuscripts and their rewrites and other sources, to create a vivid account of the collaboration that resulted in the series we all know and love.

The story is told from Rose’s point of view, as she looks back and discusses her life at that time with a young protégée’, Norma Lee Ogg. As such, it is not always kind to Laura, which some fans may find unsettling; however, it is a realistic portrayal of Rose’s view as discerned from her journals and diaries. Any mother-daughter relationship is complicated, and any work relationship is complicated; a mother-daughter work relationship is doubly so, and it would be an understatement to say that things did not always go smoothly between Laura and Rose.

Albert does a fine job of portraying both Rose’s insecurities and bouts with depression, and the strong passions – personal and political - that drove her. The times we live in shape us all, and the times in which Rose lived were full of turmoil and deprivation, from her young days growing up in poverty when she felt neglected by parents who had to spend all their time and energy wresting a living to the Depression years when she began working on the Little House books with her mother.  Not only was there physical and emotional deprivation, but society - especially small-town society - imposed its own form of social deprivation (nice girls don’t do that!) which was unbearable for a young woman as eager and determined to experience life as Rose. All of the factors influenced Rose’s natural strong character and willful temperament, and Albert brings this to all light in an interesting, thought-provoking manner.

It is easy to see Rose’s influence in the Little House books when looking at them through the lens of her beliefs – those speeches in various Independence Day scenes, for example – but it is a testament to Rose’s skill as a writer that we as readers do not realize it when simply reading through.

I highly recommend A Wilder Rose to anyone interested in Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder, or the Little House books, and to anyone interested in the Depression and Dust Bowl and the way those events shapes people’s outlook on life, and to anyone interested in the process of writing and becoming published.  Each of these subjects is fascinating in its own right; the book Albert has written weaves them seamlessly into a captivating story.

Realizing the full extent of Rose’s work on the series reminds me a quote made by Anne of Green Gables: “It is never pleasant to have our old shrines desecrated, even when we have outgrown them.” (Lucy Maud Montgomery, in Anne of the Island, Ch. 1.) However, in a disclaimer I must admit that I was not as shocked as some may be when reading A Wilder Rose.

I was in the sixth grade when I discovered that there was a ninth Little House book. I had already read the first eight books several times, and was beyond ecstatic to receive The First Four Years from a friend. Most people, evidently, are immediately struck by the dissimilarities of The First Four Years from the previous books in the series, often making comments such as, “What happened to Laura’s ability to tell a story?” or even “Who are these strange people?” I did not have those jolting thoughts or feelings. I do remember particularly noticing that there was a lot more talk of money – or rather the lack of it. But I thought that’s just how grownups are, and Laura and Manly were now grownup. Of course they would be more concerned with making the farm work and the cost of things.  But I don’t recall having any inkling that there must have been a different writer/editor/something of this last book.

Fast forward about 15 years. While rummaging through the 10 cent paperback books at a garage sale, I thumbed through a copy of Let the Hurricane Roar. I had no idea who the author was, but always ready for a good historical fiction, I put it on my stack of purchases. Upon reading it, I thought “Plagiarism!” The incidents in this story were clearly stolen from the Little House series, but not done very well, I thought. To me, this book lacked the warmth – the life – of the Little House books. Then for the first time I noticed the author’s name. Rose Wilder Lane. Ah, so it wasn’t plagiarism after all, just shared family history.

I had not known that Rose was also a writer. I was intrigued, and did some research, and was surprised at how prolific of a writer she was. This is also when I first became aware of the controversy over how much of the Little House series Rose was really responsible for. Having just finished a sample of Rose’s writing that I was not at all impressed with, and being a devoted fan of the Little House books, I came down firmly on the side of ‘It can’t have been much.’

Still later, however, I was able to view some of the correspondence between Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. Even more compellingly, I was able to see some of the manuscripts with the changes Rose made from Laura’s writing. Through the years during this research, I have had to change my mind from “not much” to “quite a bit.”

Without the both of them, we would not, could not, have the Little House series that we have. We know what we would have: it’s right there in black and white, in Laura’s original manuscripts and Rose’s Let the Hurricane Roar. Neither reaches the heart like the finished books that they produced together.

A huge thank you to Susan Wittig Albert for allowing me an advance copy of A Wilder Rose. You can find more information on it, with ordering information, here.

Also, Marie at AllThingsLauraIngallsWilder has an excellent interview with Susan Wittig Albert here.

for Marie and Her Wonderful Readers

This week I had the great privilege to guest post at Marie's lovely blog, AllThingsLauraIngallsWilder.
You can read it here: AllThingsLauraIngallsWilder.

Wilder Days

Remember how I said I wanted so badly to go to the Wilder Day festival at Mansfield, but it was impossible as the timing couldn't be worse? Well, that wasn't counting on my wonderful hubby, who made the impossible, possible!

Thursday evening I was just sitting down after the supper cleanup, when he said, "What time is that flight to Missouri?"

"Uh, what flight? We have to get things ready to pack up!"

[Aside: we sold our house, and we have to move! That's a good thing, but it was the main thing that made the timing of a trip so bad. If you're interested you can see our house - er, used-to-be-our house - here.]

"Isn't this the weekend of that thing you wanted to go to in Missouri? The weekend your friend is going to be there? Go get the tickets. I've arranged it. We're going!"

I was out of that chair in a flash! Within a couple of hours I had us packed and ready to go; we grabbed a precious few hours sleep and got  up at 3:00 am to go catch our Friday morning flight. (Part of the reason we had to get up that early is that we live a good 2 hour drive from San Antonio, where the airport is. The other part of the reason is that my wonderful hubby likes to plan to get to the airport a full 2 hours before boarding, "just in case.")

We flew to St. Louis, the closest airport to Mansfield that Southwest flies to, rented a car and drove to Mansfield.

Here's the downside of the trip: it was pouring rain pretty much the entire weekend. It had lighter times and heavier times, but very, very few times that it wasn't raining.

It was about 4pm by the time we got there, and what with the rain and all, the things on the square were folding up and calling it quits.

So we drove around the town a bit, checking out where things were and so forth, and during a time of lighter rain we went to the cemetery.

Here is Laura and Almanzo's gravesite.

I love the mementos that people leave.

Rose is buried next to her parents.

After that we had supper at a Mexican restaurant, which evidently is the only place other than Subway to eat in that town these days, and then we went out to the pageant.

We were plenty early and enjoyed the pre-show music.

But. 

It was raining. 
And it was cold. 
It was in the 50's, and to a south Texan, that's downright freezing. I DID check the weather channel before we left, and it said highs in the 70s, so we didn't pack jackets; fortunately we did have rain parkas, but they do not keep you warm.

On top of that, because of the rain, they had to cover the sound equipment, and the (all volunteer) performers did not project well, so we were not able to hear it at all.

It was obvious that a lot of work was put into the show, and the performers did well. But, between the misery of being cold and wet, and the fact that we couldn't hear it, we just couldn't take it. We left at the intermission and went to our hotel in Marshfield.

Saturday was "Wilder Day." We went out to the homesite where most of the events for the day were planned.

The playing of Pa's fiddle by David Scrivener was fabulous. 

He knew almost every song requested - and would even play the ones he didn't know if you'd sing the tune for him to follow. Naturally, I requested Pa's favorite, In the Sweet By and By. I reckon that old fiddle has played that tune many a time, and it was a marvelous experience to know that I was hearing the same song(s) on that same fiddle that Laura and her family heard so many times.

There was also a lady who played the organ. This was in the home, of course, so no photos to be had, but it was very nice.

This was my first trip to Mansfield, so I just soaked in all the details of the home that Almanzo and Laura built.

I pointed out to hubby all the little things I had read about - such as the height of the cabinetry, and the story of how she begged, pleaded, demanded, cajoled, and finally cried to get the big stones that make the front of the fireplace.

Since it was that one special day in all the year, we got to go upstairs for a peek, too.

Sadly, no photos are allowed inside, and since it was pouring rain I didn't trek around it all outside, so this one will have to suffice.

I have to admit that, having read all about how Laura designed and built the home just to suit a farm woman, and didn't like the house that Rose built, I was determined to be loyal to Laura and like that home better than the rock house.

Nope.

Erroneous. False. Incorrect. Wrong.  

That little rock house is one of the neatest little houses I have ever seen! (And I'm a Realtor - I've seen a LOT of houses.) 

The outside is cute, but it's the inside that captured me. I love the doors especially - possibly the back "Dutch" door even more than that gorgeous front door. And the closet doors, too. Although they were built that way to be sturdy and not warp, I love the way they look. And how about all those little drawers! Yep, I've got some ideas for when hubby builds our next house! Too bad I couldn't take any pictures of them.

Charlotte Stewart was there. 

Because of the rain, there was a depressingly low turn out for the event - but that meant there was no line when I went to see her. We got to have a nice conversation while she signed my Beadle Bag again. (It was the same one from Walnut Grove. This time she added "Teachers Rule.") She is such a sweet person. And, I've mentioned before, I love the fact that she recycles materials to make the bags and she donates 10% to the Wellness Center for breast cancer (lots of cancer, including breast cancer, in my family). She is going to make my "Concordia Mom" t-shirt into a purse.

Bill Anderson was also there. I think I made him mad. He was taking photos in the museum (where normally no photos are allowed), and I said to him, "We peons couldn't get away with that." I was just teasing, but I don't think he knew that, and he was quick to explain, rather irritatedly (is that a word?), that it was for the newsletter. Sorry, Bill!

And I heard rumors of Cheryl Harness but never saw her. I don't know whether she wasn't able to make it or I just never found her.

There was supposed to be a parade, but it got cancelled on account of the rain.

So we headed over to Laura'sSweet Memories to look around while we waited for Marie's  presentation.

Jim has the neatest shop. It is located in the oldest home in Mansfield - one that Laura visited many times for one of her ladies' clubs. Jim has collected many mementos and souvenirs of Laura and her family and the town and its history. We spent quite a while looking at it all. We also got a chance to visit with Freda, a cousin of Almanzo. She has quite an interesting history herself, and she's so sweet.

And then, of course, there are all the goodies! Yummy!  

But the highlight on this special day was that Laura Ingalls Wilder visited and shared some of her sweet memories! 

Marie Tschop of All Things Laura Ingalls Wilder did an absolutely splendid presentation. 
I was enthralled, even though of course I knew all the stories she was telling. She has a real talent for drawing in the audience. The children were completely entranced, and even the men in attendance were spellbound! 

After that it was time to head back to the big city. We never even went to the square, so I don't know what goes on there. There wasn't anything much this day due to the weather.

All in all, it was a great day for those who went to Mansfield, despite the rain. We got to see the home Laura and Almanzo designed and built, the rock house, and the museum; hear Pa's fiddle and the organ (and a dulcimer - I forgot about that!); even see some celebrities. And how neat is it that I got to see my friend "Laura" appear with a cousin of Almanzo and a cousin of Laura in a home that Laura really visited?