tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35503001.post436871808929516750..comments2023-10-19T07:42:41.912-04:00Comments on Afrogeek Mom and Dad: Little House on the PrairieUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35503001.post-40143485678598429142008-05-25T16:08:00.000-04:002008-05-25T16:08:00.000-04:00Ah, the Little House conundrum. We're not alone. I...Ah, the Little House conundrum. We're not alone. I also remember going through the same thing over <I>Little Women</I>, <I>Anne of Green Gables</I>, <I>Caddie Woodlawn</I> and <I>Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm</I>.<BR/><BR/>The first Little House book I read was "These Happy Golden Years" when I was in junior high. Not long after the tv show started showing in syndication right when I got home from school and I quickly went back and read the other books.<BR/><BR/>I considered the books "the real thing" and the tv show just for fun. Michael Landon got so far off base by the time they adopted Albert it wasn't barely fun anymore.<BR/><BR/>Recently, I discovered <A HREF="http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/cp/vol-03/no-03/seidman/" REL="nofollow">this essay</A> which made me really question just how blinded I had been by the books.<BR/><BR/>People always get around to talking about the racists overtones of the books and, please forgive me, white folks always start with the Indians, but the sting of that "darky minstrel show" hit me even in junior high.<BR/><BR/>Laura disapproves Ma's racism of the Indians and she makes this clear. However she also makes clear that the "darky" show was hilarious entertainment and her biggest concern was never the portrayal of "darkies" but where the heck Pa was the whole time and that he was missing the fun.<BR/><BR/>At any rate, despite the underlying bigotry, I as a black woman, enjoy this series a lot and re-read it from time to time and introduced my daughter to the books, carefully explaining what she was reading and answer the inevitable question about the "darkies" that I knew was going to come.<BR/><BR/>Still, I can't help but be satisfied greatly by what she said in her <A HREF="http://www.laurasprairiehouse.com/research/lettertofans.html" REL="nofollow">patent letter</A> to fans:<BR/><BR/><I>The <B>"Little House"</B> Books are stories of long ago. Today our way of living and our schools are much different; so many things have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.</I><BR/><BR/>I especially felt this after reading "The Long Winter". My how the cover of that book showing children throwing snowballs is misleading!ThatDeborahGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02235918238595525061noreply@blogger.com