Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Everyone believes they know Laura Ingalls Wilder to a certain extent. But there are gaps left out of her famous Little House books, and author Caroline Fraser pulls from unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records to fills in those holes. Fraser explores every angle, from Laura's pioneering childhood to her turbulent relationship with her daughter, author and editor Rose Wilder Lane. 

640 pages.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Summary: This book attempts to remove some of the mystique surrounding Laura Ingalls Wilder. Major events and relationships in her life are painstakingly set into their historical context. Myths are debunked. Family relationships are explored.

My Review: I found parts of this book thoroughly engaging and learned or relearned a lot of US history. Other parts of the book were repetitious and slow-moving. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to hearing the author speak at the Fox Service Center in Arnold on October 17, thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (#IMLSGrant).

Pages: 625          My Rating: 4 out of 5

Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell: Confederates, Cadavers and Macabre Medicine

Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell: Confederates, Cadavers and Macabre Medicine
by Victoria Cosnor
Pages: 144
Rating: 4 out of 5

Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell of St. Louis was known as many things: a brilliant surgeon and teacher, a grave robber and and husband and father. Some people say he was an amazing man while others wanted to kill him. His experiments and anatomy classes led to advances in medical science but at what cost? Was he really a mad scientist and did he really experiment on his family's corpses? You'll have to read this book to find out.