With the new bestselling autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder flying off the shelves of libraries and book stores across country, you might ask “What’s all the hoopla?” Is there really something new in the book? On Monday, April 13 at 7 pm, John E. Miller, local historian and author of three books on Laura Ingalls Wilder, will answer those questions. He will talk about how the book came to be written, the role her daughter played in its production and promotion, the nature of the book, what we can learn from Pam Smith Hill’s editing and annotating of it, how the Little House series emerged, and all the hoopla currently surrounding the book.
Also a part of the evening’s program will be clips from the latest documentary on Wilder called "Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder." This one-hour documentary, directed and narrated by Dean Butler who played Almonzo in the TV series, was filmed in this area and has just been released. It includes passages from the "Little House" books, archival photography, paintings from frontier artists, reenactments, a beautiful music score, original illustrations, and interviews with experts including historian John E. Miller.
Copies of both the book and documentary will be available for purchase. For more information, contact the Brookings Public Library at (605) 692-9407.