Little House on the Prairie

dee's mommy

Tue, Dec 06 2016, 10:29 am

BetsyTacy wrote:

The fear of Native Americans was an important part of life on the prairies, especially after the Dakota War of 1862 (then known as the Sioux uprising). Not to include it would have been ridiculous. Minstrels were a part of Americana, although clearly not as important.

All books have the racisim of their times. The Anne of Green Gables books have many characters who describe the French Canadians as lazy. The peddler who sold the famous hair dye was suspected of being Italian, but turned out to be a German Jew. One character in a later book (Rainbow Valley) claims she works like a n*** for her adoptive family but says so in a proud way that she now deserves a good life for all the work she provides.

Do I love these parts? No, but without them you have a completely sanitized version of history. As it is both of these series are historical fiction, but they need to be put in the context in which the authors lived and wrote.

LHOTP is extremely chaste. One kiss upon engagment? So you can tell him that's not what yidden do, but I hope it won't rock his world.

Betsy Tacy, I love your name!

I agree with you, these are an authentic part of history. That is why I am happy to have my daughter read it, but I want to discuss it with her. I gave the warnings for the OP if that was a concern to her. I think it is useful to have the history as well as a firm understanding as to what is acceptable and not acceptable today before reading it. While I grew up going to public school in a very diverse environment, my daughter is in a private religious school where she is not living in diversity. I want to make it clear to her why certain things in her books (that I am giving her to read) are not acceptable.