A Prairie Faith

The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder

by John J. Fry

Foreword by Mark A. Noll

Series: Library of Religious Biography (LRB)

Imprint: Eerdmans

240 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in

eBook
9781467468220
Publication Date: February 6, 2024

$24.99

Paperback
9780802876287
Publication Date: February 6, 2024

$24.99

£18.99

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Description

What role did Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Christian faith play in her life and writing?

The beloved Little Housebooks by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold over 60 million copies since their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Even her unpolished memoir, Pioneer Girl, which tells the true story behind the children’s books, was widely embraced upon its release in 2014. Despite Wilder’s enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs and practice.

John J. Fry shines a light on Wilder’s quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry surveys the Little Housebooks, Pioneer Girl, and Wilder’s lesser-known writings, including her letters, poems, and newspaper columns. Analyzing this wealth of sources, he reveals how Wilder’s down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder’s perennially interesting life story, A Prairie Faith illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.

Contents

Table of Contents
Foreword by Mark A. Noll
Acknowledgments
Introduction: “Between Him and God”
1. Home, on and off the Prairie: Kansas and Wisconsin, 1867–1874
2. Exploring the World and the Church: Minnesota and Iowa, 1874–1879
3. Adolescence and Courtship: Dakota Territory, 1879–1885
4. Trials: Dakota, Minnesota, Florida, 1885–1894
5. New Beginnings: Missouri, 1894–1911
6. Writing about the Farm, the Good Life, and God: 1911–1924
7. From Memoir to Children’s Literature: 1924–1935
8. The Later Little House Books: 1935–1943
9. Aging, Together and Apart: 1943–1957
10. Remembering Laura: Since 1957
Personal Afterword: Faith and the Popularity of the Little House Books
A Note on Sources
Appendix: Pastors of the Mansfield Methodist Episcopal Church, 1895–1939, and the Mansfield Methodist Church, 1939–1958
Index

Authors

John J. Fry is professor of history, dean of faculty, and director of Foundations at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. He is the author of The Farm Press, Reform, and Rural Change, 1895- 1920 and the editor of Almost Pioneers: One Couple's Homesteading Adventure in the West.

Praise

Christianity Today
“A highly readable account of great value to scholars and Little House fans alike.”

“[A]n outstanding example of how detailed research can supplement, modify, or, in some cases, overthrow what everyone thought they knew about an author whose books are still much read and, by many, much loved.”
—from the foreword by Mark A. Noll

“In A Prairie Faith, John Fry provides his readers with a nuanced and thoughtful discussion of the spiritual world of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is no small task, since Wilder rarely talked about her own faith and left no diaries and few letters that shed significant light on the matter. In search of his elusive subject, Fry has read myriad manuscripts, including all known drafts of Wilder’s famous Little House books, a daunting task in itself. What emerges is a new and convincing picture of a Laura Ingalls Wilder whom few of us know.”
—Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, author of Childhood on the Farm: Work, Play, and Coming of Age in the Midwest

“The elusive topic of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s religious life has mystified readers and scholars since the publication of her Little House books. Dr. Fry’s research is a welcome addition to Wilder studies.”
—William Anderson, editor of The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder

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