Prairie Fires by Caroline Frasier

Laura Ingalls Wilder amazed and delighted generations of children and adults with stories of her childhood. Caroline Fraser gives us a comprehensive look not only at her life but what was really going on in the world around her. She takes us from the beginning in Minnesota to the prairie and from the easy times, which there weren't many of, to grasshoppers, fires, crops going under and Pa's big dreams. Laura had to work at an early age especially after Mary went blind and was the family's major breadwinner for years. This pioneering upbringing pushed her on later in life when her family had it's share of hardships. Meticulously researched, this is a comprehensive guide to life on the prairie. It is a first hand look at the myth, the child, mother, wife and writer of books that continue to draw our attention still.