A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Library of Religious Biography | LRB)

by John J. Fry

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2024

Overview

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

The beloved Little House books 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 House books, 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.

Key Features

• Reveals how Wilder’s down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work
• Illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history

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

Product Details

• Title: A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Author: John J. Fry
• Series: Library of Religious Biography
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 217
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957 › Religion; Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957 › Criticism and interpretation; Authors, American › 20th century--Biography; Frontier and pioneer life › Middle West--Biography; Christianity in literature; Christian biography › United States
• ISBNs: 9780802876287, 0802876285
• Resource ID: LLS:PRRFTHBGRPHYLRB
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-01-25T18:06:29Z

About John J. Fry

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.